Word forms: comparative haughtier, superlative haughtiest
adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You use haughty to describe someone's behaviour or appearance when you disapprove of the fact that they seem to be very proud and to think that they are better than other people.
[disapproval]
He spoke in a haughty tone.
Synonyms: proud, arrogant, lofty, high More Synonyms of haughty
haughtily (hɔːtɪli)adverb [usually ADVERB with verb, oft ADVERB adjective]
Toni looked at him rather haughtily.
haughty in British English
(ˈhɔːtɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: -tier or -tiest
1.
having or showing arrogance
2. archaic
noble or exalted
Derived forms
haughtily (ˈhaughtily)
adverb
haughtiness (ˈhaughtiness)
noun
Word origin
C16: from Old French haut, literally: lofty, from Latin altus high
haughty in American English
(ˈhɔti)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈhaughtier or ˈhaughtiest
1.
having or showing great pride in oneself and disdain, contempt, or scorn for others; proud; arrogant; supercilious
2. Archaic
lofty; noble
SIMILAR WORDS: proud
Derived forms
haughtily (ˈhaughtily)
adverb
haughtiness (ˈhaughtiness)
noun
Word origin
ME haut, high, haughty < OFr, high < altus (with h- after Frank *hoh, high) + -y3: gh prob. inserted by analogy with naughty
Examples of 'haughty' in a sentence
haughty
Her great conquests and the gifts they brought made her proud and haughty.
Kishlansky, Mark A. (editor) Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1: From the Beginningto 1715 (1995)
Most of the country's middle class sneer at her haughty manner and tacky personal style.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But no matter about my spiteful little asides, my haughty disdain.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
As he grew, the elders were amazed at his haughty manner and his constant likeness to his father.
William Thackeray Vanity Fair (1837)
The other person feels more relaxed with you and may find that there is no need to be aggressive or cold or haughty any longer.
Vera Peiffer POSITIVE THINKING: Everything you have always known about positive thinking but wereafraid to put into practice (2001)
An officer who headed them addressed Humphrey in a haughty tone, and asked him who he was.
Frederick Marryat The Children of the New Forest (1847)
(adjective)
Definition
having or showing excessive pride or arrogance
She spoke in a haughty tone.
Synonyms
proud
She has a reputation for being proud and arrogant.
arrogant
an air of arrogant indifference
lofty
the lofty disdain he often expresses for his profession
high
stuck-up (informal)
She was a famous actress but she wasn't a bit stuck-up.
contemptuous
She gave a contemptuous little laugh and walked away.
conceited
I thought him conceited and arrogant.
imperious
She gave him a witheringly imperious look.
snooty (informal)
snooty intellectuals
scornful
a scornful smile
snobbish
I'd expected her to be snobbish but she was warm and friendly.
disdainful
He gave us a disdainful glance and moved on.
supercilious
His manner is supercilious and arrogant.
high and mighty (informal)
I think you're a bit too high and mighty yourself.
overweening
his overweening arrogance and pride
hoity-toity (informal)
My auntie up from the south was trying to be all hoity-toity.
on your high horse (informal)
uppish (British, informal)
Opposites
modest
,
humble
,
meek
,
mild
,
self-effacing
,
subservient
,
wimpish or wimpy (informal)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of arrogant
Definition
having an exaggerated opinion of one's own importance or ability
an air of arrogant indifference
Synonyms
conceited,
lordly,
assuming,
proud,
swaggering,
pompous,
pretentious,
stuck up (informal),
cocky,
contemptuous,
blustering,
imperious,
overbearing,
haughty,
scornful,
puffed up,
egotistical,
disdainful,
self-important,
presumptuous,
high-handed,
insolent,
supercilious,
high and mighty (informal),
overweening,
immodest,
swollen-headed,
bigheaded (informal),
uppish (British, informal),
too big for your boots or breeches
in the sense of conceited
Definition
having an excessively high opinion of oneself
I thought him conceited and arrogant.
Synonyms
self-important,
vain,
arrogant,
stuck up (informal),
cocky,
narcissistic,
puffed up,
egotistical,
overweening,
immodest,
vainglorious,
swollen-headed,
bigheaded (informal),
full of yourself,
too big for your boots or breeches
in the sense of contemptuous
Definition
showing or feeling strong dislike or disrespect
She gave a contemptuous little laugh and walked away.