lofty

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

Synonyms of lofty

• 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

He set lofty goals for himself as a teacher.

She showed a lofty disregard for their objections.

Recent Examples on the Web

How feasible those lofty plans will turn out to be remains to be seen, but the startup is optimistic. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 9 July 2026

Reload matches the lofty position where Load kicked off its time last summer, also as part of the remaster and reissue campaign. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

But joining the Nasdaq index has done little to convince critics, who are dubious about the lofty aims of the company. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 July 2026

Some economists believe Starship is simply too big to fulfill all of SpaceX’s lofty goals, but Jones doesn’t buy it. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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