haughty

adjective

haugh·​ty ˈhȯ-tē 

ˈhä-

haughtier; haughtiest

: blatantly and disdainfully proud : having or showing an attitude of superiority and contempt for people or things perceived to be inferior

haughty aristocrats

a haughty attitude

… Mr. Yorke talked about equality, but at heart he was … haughty as Beelzebub to whomsoever the world deemed (for he deemed no man) his superior.

—Charlotte Brontë

haughtily

ˈhȯ-tə-lē 

ˈhä-

adverb

haughtiness

ˈhȯ-tē-nəs 

ˈhä-

noun

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The Connotations of Haughty

Someone who is haughty looks down on others—and that position high above everyone else is present in the word's etymology. Haughty traces back to the Anglo-French halt or haut, which means literally "high."

The word has strong negative connotations. Someone who is described as "haughty" is proud in the worst way. This is not the pride a parent feels for a child who's worked hard at something, and it's not the pride a marathoner feels for completing a race. The word haughty communicates a kind of pride that is obviously full of contempt for others deemed inferior or unworthy.

The word is not applied only to people. Haughty often modifies nouns like glare, look, appearance, and attitude.

Synonyms of haughty

• arrogant

Choose the Right Synonym for haughty

proud, arrogant, haughty, lordly, insolent, overbearing, supercilious, disdainful mean showing scorn for inferiors.

proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

Examples of haughty in a Sentence

He rejected their offer with a tone of haughty disdain.

the haughty waiter smirked when I remarked that it was odd that a French restaurant didn't even have french fries on the menu

Recent Examples on the Web

For one, Columbus’s face wears the haughtiest, most cocksure expression in Lewis’s body of work. —Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Many of Furgeson’s subjects were displeased by his haughty musings, which would seem less out of place if he was garbed in a royal mantle and wielding a golden scepter. —Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 June 2026

One widespread subspecies endemic to the area is the haughty Cardinal, recognized by its bright-red plumage and smugness about winning a dozen National League Central crowns. —Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 31 May 2026

These justices have shown no particular alarm or regret over the sweeping attack on Black voting power that has followed their erosion of the VRA, displaying instead a haughty indignation that anyone would criticize their decisions or rationale. —Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

obsolete haught, from Middle English haute, from Anglo-French halt, haut, literally, high, from Latin altus — more at old

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for haughty

• dotty
• doughty
• draughty
• knotty
• naughty
• potty
• scottie
• spotty
• strati
• zloty
• basmati
• bharati

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Kids Definition

haughty

adjective

haugh·​ty ˈhȯt-ē 

ˈhät-

haughtier; haughtiest

: rudely proud in a manner that expresses scorn for others : arrogant

haughtily

ˈhȯt-ə-lē 

ˈhät-

adverb

haughtiness

ˈhȯt-ē-nəs 

ˈhät-

noun