haughty

play

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

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

No point in wondering what Ox — who likes to read and paint and play guitar, who builds birdhouses and tends bonsai — sees in such a vain, haughty creature.

— julia livshin, New York Times, "Picture Books on the Joy of Mail, Without the E", 13 Jan. 2017
The Judd in this picture is similarly haughty but eventually more sympathetic.

— glenn kenny, New York Times, "Same Character, Different Film: Recurring Roles in Non-Sequels", 23 June 2016
Ms. Wintour is portrayed in branding-friendly style: intimidatingly haughty but also effectively pragmatic.

— glenn kenny, New York Times, "Review: ‘The First Monday in May’ Goes Behind the Scenes at the Met", 14 Apr. 2016
Mr. Cancellara said that although shoe-shining was still considered a humble job and clients could be somewhat haughty in Italy, the use of professional shoe cream polishes was on the rise.

— gaia pianigiani, New York Times, "Women Try to Make Italy’s Shoe-Shining as Chic as Its Shoes", 6 Mar. 2016
Takada-san’s final presentation was of the robot porters, which looked like seatless, anti-aerodynamic go-kart thrones for small haughty children.

— gideon lewis-kraus, WIRED, "Check In With the Velociraptor at the World’s First Robot Hotel", 2 Mar. 2016
As for Parisians, across the rest of the country they are considered haughty and entitled, and also wimpy drivers.

— scott sayare, The Atlantic, "The Strange Popularity of Corsican License Plates", 10 Aug. 2015
For all her brilliance, Didion might now be deemed too haughty to tolerate, the ultimate white girl.

— meghan daum, The Atlantic, "The Elitist Allure of Joan Didion", 10 Aug. 2015
Team E.D. is quite an eye-catcher, but the haughty dealers are too cool to make a fuss of a visiting celebrity, so Ellen’s shopping marathon is virtually uninterrupted.

— hamish bowles, Vogue, "Ellen DeGeneres Takes Paris: Inside the Comedian and Designer’s Whirlwind European Vacation", 21 Oct. 2014

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

NEW!

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

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