as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
she looked at him with the hauteur of someone who is accustomed to being instantly obeyed
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Recent Examples of hauteur
The kitchen borrowed the ingredient worship of Chez Panisse, but not its reverence for simplicity; the fancy culture-mash pizza of Spago, but not its Eurocentric hauteur; the cheffy precision of the French Laundry, but not its fussy formality.
—
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2025
There was some explanation for his elusiveness, quite apart from the everyday hauteur of the fashion industry.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
They are written with a thuggish hauteur, as if Pacino’s Tony ‘Scarface’ Montana had been transplanted to the world of music promotion – all machismo and ultimatums.
—Martin McKenzie-Murray, SPIN, 7 Jan. 2025
With his chilly hauteur and unflattering Prince Valiant hairdo, Jordan is a plain villain amid characters who otherwise collectively lurch between sympathetic victimhood and viciously cruel mob mentality.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hauteur
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2025
There was some explanation for his elusiveness, quite apart from the everyday hauteur of the fashion industry.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
They are written with a thuggish hauteur, as if Pacino’s Tony ‘Scarface’ Montana had been transplanted to the world of music promotion – all machismo and ultimatums.
—Martin McKenzie-Murray, SPIN, 7 Jan. 2025
With his chilly hauteur and unflattering Prince Valiant hairdo, Jordan is a plain villain amid characters who otherwise collectively lurch between sympathetic victimhood and viciously cruel mob mentality.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hauteur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hauteur
Noun
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Mitchell prides himself on being a no-nonsense, no-bulls*** kind of man, but his attitude can sometimes come across as arrogance.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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This arrogance is not just limited to tech titans.—
Christian Josi,
Boston Herald,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Timothy Olyphant, again, sells the superiority well.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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Originally from Ohio, Howard would whisper-speak his lectures to a crowded room, describing with fatigued superiority people (including his family) who couldn’t properly appreciate Nijinsky.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hauteur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hauteur. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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