haughty

adjective haugh·ty \ ˈhȯ-tē , ˈhä- \

Definition of haughty

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

haughty young beauty … never deigned to notice us
—Herman Melville

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haughtily

play \ˈhȯ-tə-lē, ˈhä-\ adverb

—

haughtiness

play \ˈhȯ-tē-nəs, ˈhä-\ noun

See haughty defined for English-language learners

See haughty defined for kids

haughty was our Word of the Day on 04/21/2011. Hear the podcast!

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 of haughty from the Web

The character is well-dressed, grips a small stick behind his back and his right hand on a hip; his chin is tipped up and chest thrust out, a display of haughty authority.

— christopher borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "Masters of minis coming to Chicago," 5 July 2017
Christopher Bentivegna plays the Velociraptor of Faith with a haughty dignity and zeal, urging his followers to never stray too far from the Lab, seen as the source of their creation.

— NOLA.com, "'Triassic Parq' a bawdy, comic delight seen from dinosaurs' point of view," 3 July 2017
Track and field and cycling, also ensnared in the scandal but more hardened by past entanglements, have been less haughty, a caution borne out by subsequent incidents.

— tim layden, SI.com, "With BALCO behind him, Victor Conte is still hustling and loving every minute of it," 28 June 2017
B8 managing director Kerry Gudjohnsen is a haughty Goneril, the eldest of Lear’s cruelly callous daughters, and Bonnie Marion makes an amusingly contemptuous, eye-rolling middle sister Regan.

— sam hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Review: Low-fi ‘King Lear’ holds court in Concord," 17 June 2017
Her demeanor now oscillates between a haughty air of entitlement and visible apprehension.

— henry porter, The Hive, "Has Theresa May Just Cost Herself the British Election?," 6 June 2017
These ghosts are sexy, rude, naughty, haughty and shocking.

— angela ledgerwood, Esquire, "The Best Books of 2017 (So Far)," 5 June 2017
Two men pursue the Black Pearl, hoping to rescue this beauteous damsel: Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), a blacksmith and childhood friend secretly in love with her, and haughty Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport), who fancies himself her fiance.

— thr staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' — THR's 2003 Review," 25 May 2017
Mezzo-soprano Milena Kitic conjured a few mesmerizing moments as Amneris, Aida’s haughty and high-born master.

— Orange County Register, "‘Aida’ features a memorable debut in Costa Mesa," 24 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'haughty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of haughty

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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haughty Synonyms

Synonyms

assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, arrogant, highfalutin (also hifalutin), high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, huffish, huffy, imperious, important, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious, self-asserting, self-assertive, sniffy, stiff-necked, supercilious, superior, toplofty (also toploftical), uppish, uppity

Antonyms

humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious

Near Antonyms

bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, mousy (or mousey), overmodest, self-critical, self-doubting, sheepish, shrinking, shy, subdued, timid; acquiescent, compliant, deferential, meek, passive, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, unassuming, unobtrusive, yielding; quiet, reserved, retiring

Synonym Discussion of 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

HAUGHTY Defined for English Language Learners

haughty

adjective

Definition of haughty for English Language Learners

: having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people

HAUGHTY Defined for Kids

haughty

adjective haugh·ty \ ˈhȯ-tē \

Definition of haughty for Students

haughtier; haughtiest

:having or showing a proud and superior attitude

a haughty princess

—

haughtily

\ˈhȯ-tə-lē\ adverb

—

haughtiness

\ˈhȯ-tē-nəs\ noun

Learn More about haughty

See words that rhyme with haughty Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for haughty Spanish Central: Translation of haughty Nglish: Translation of haughty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of haughty for Arabic speakers

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haughty was our Word of the Day on 04/21/2011. Hear the podcast!

Examples of haughty in a Sentence

Recent Examples of haughty from the Web

The Connotations of haughty

Origin and Etymology of haughty

haughty Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of haughty

HAUGHTY Defined for English Language Learners

haughty

Definition of haughty for English Language Learners

HAUGHTY Defined for Kids

haughty

Definition of haughty for Students

haughtily

haughtiness

Learn More about haughty

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