lofty

1 of 2

adjective

ˈlȯf-tē 

loftier; loftiest

1

a

: elevated in character and spirit : noble

lofty ideals

b

: elevated in status : superior

the less lofty customers of the bar

2

: having a haughty overbearing manner : supercilious

She showed a lofty disregard for their objections.

3

a

: rising to a great height : impressively high

lofty mountains

b

: remote, esoteric

… basic precepts are not lofty abstractions far removed from matters of daily living.

—Dwight D. Eisenhower

4

: having full-bodied, firm, and resilient textile fibers

lofty flannel

loftily

ˈlȯf-tə-lē 

adverb

loftiness

ˈlȯf-tē-nəs 

noun

loftiness

2 of 2

noun

loft·​i·​ness -tēnə̇s 

-tin-

plural -es

: the quality or state of being lofty

with the loftiness of a patriot of old Rome

—George Meredith

soap imparts to silk material a bulk and loftiness difficult to obtain with synthetic softening agents

—H. C. Speel & H. H. Mosher

Synonyms of lofty

Adjective

• tall
• high

Choose the Right Synonym for lofty

high, tall, lofty mean above the average in height.

high implies marked extension upward and is applied chiefly to things which rise from a base or foundation or are placed at a conspicuous height above a lower level.

a high hill

a high ceiling

tall applies to what grows or rises high by comparison with others of its kind and usually implies relative narrowness.

a tall thin man

lofty suggests great or imposing altitude.

lofty mountain peaks

Examples of lofty in a Sentence

Adjective

He set lofty goals for himself as a teacher.

She showed a lofty disregard for their objections.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Then, another decade passed before Adele reset the loftiest starting point in Radio Songs chart history – a record that continues to hold to this day. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

Homeowners are cashing in as well, with some renting out their places on Airbnb for a small fortune, figuring that crashing on a friend’s couch or booking a hotel room elsewhere is well worth the lofty payouts brought by World Cup demand. —Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

SpaceX’s debut week on the public markets has seen investors scramble to buy into Musk’s lofty ambitions for the company, but cooling sentiment has pared some of those gains over the past couple of days. —Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 19 June 2026

Some estimate that with SpaceX’s lofty multiple, equity would be easier. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 19 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

lofty

adjective

ˈlȯf-tē 

loftier; loftiest

1

: proud sense 1a, haughty

a lofty manner

2

a

: of high, noble, or excellent quality

lofty ideals

b

: of high rank : superior

3

: rising to a great height

lofty redwood trees

loftily

-tə-lē 

adverb

loftiness

-tē-nəs 

noun