Charlotte Brontë
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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.
Examples of haughty in a Sentence
John Bowe, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Growing up nearby, the painter Leon Kossoff, son of Russian Jewish immigrants, could not escape the presence of the church, alien and haughty, in a district that had become an almost entirely Jewish quarter.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Appearing in the meta pop girl mockumentary The Moment, directed by Aidan Zamiri and also starring Charli xcx (one of the Swedish actor’s favorite musicians), Skarsgård plays the haughty, just-about-doesn’t-get-it director.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2026
Wiig says, referring to the classic TV sitcom of the 1960s and ‘70s that starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, a witch who marries a mortal man, Darrin, much to her haughty mother, Endora’s, chagrin.
—Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for haughty
Cite this Entry
“Haughty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haughty. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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