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

High school athletes always set lofty goals, but Jasir Fontenot’s are about as eye-popping as his 17-1 high school record a year ago before going on to win the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships, placing third in the Nike Outdoor Nationals and fourth in the U-20 National Championships. —Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

Even if all mathematicians agreed with Litt’s decidedly utopian take on this thought experiment, the current situation is far from that lofty ideal—as evidenced by First Proof’s first round. —Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 16 Mar. 2026

OpenAI and its rivals have been pushing to convince more business professionals to pay up for their services to offset the immense cost of developing AI systems and support their lofty valuations. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026

That’s lofty praise, to be sure. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 15 Mar. 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