variants
also hifalutin
1
as in rhetorical
full of fine words and fancy expressions
his highfalutin paean to the working class failed to win over a crowd that wanted to hear down-to-earth proposals for economic relief
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
her highfalutin relatives from New York made the snide remark that her little house "has that lived-in look"
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in proud
having or displaying feelings of scorn for what is regarded as beneath oneself
refused to be intimidated by the highfalutin manner of the sales staff in the fashionable boutique
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in pretentious
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
"fine Southern cuisine" sounds a bit highfalutin for a barbecue shack
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of highfalutin
Early on, Feld became Chicago’s most divisive restaurant, a flash point for critics of highfalutin many-course tasting menus.
—
The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
There is support for AAC and SBC codecs, but none of your highfalutin aptX Adaptive or LDAC.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The resulting public mockery has forced the company to make sweaty apologies while standing by its highfalutin claims about the bot’s capabilities.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Packing more lightweight aluminum than anything from Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Porsche, the Acura defied expectations again with a shocking US $60,000 price, a fraction the cost of its highfalutin rivals.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2016
See All Example Sentences for highfalutin
The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
There is support for AAC and SBC codecs, but none of your highfalutin aptX Adaptive or LDAC.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The resulting public mockery has forced the company to make sweaty apologies while standing by its highfalutin claims about the bot’s capabilities.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Packing more lightweight aluminum than anything from Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Porsche, the Acura defied expectations again with a shocking US $60,000 price, a fraction the cost of its highfalutin rivals.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2016
See All Example Sentences for highfalutin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for highfalutin
Adjective
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And so the rhetorical support for Iran remains fierce and loud—on the streets, on television, and on social media.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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This is the familiar stage of rhetorical climbdown, indicating dawning awareness that a problem is more complicated than the president initially thought.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This is an organization that can be frustratingly set in its ways and arrogant in its belief that there’s no better way.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Planning for more than 11 contests out of Dobbins, something only produced twice over his first six NFL seasons, isn’t just arrogant.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Nicole Hensley came to Ball Arena a year ago, proud and excited to be part of the first PWHL game in her hometown.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Authentic and proud cultural celebrations, luaus are uniquely entertaining and, at times, simply mesmerizing with Polynesian dancing and drumming as well as chants, songs and stories about ancient traditions, legends and epic Pacific Ocean migrations.—
Ben Davidson,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And The Row’s appeal at first seemed like a pretentious effort to keep the TikTok crowd from gaping at its founders Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s it-shoes and fab-drab tailoring.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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She had been blamed for breaking up the greatest band of all time; her art was pretentious and nonsensical; her music was unlistenable.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When one steps through its doors, they are transported into an ornate palace that seems to exist outside of time.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The more ornate tracks’ departure feels nearly as monumental—and often as successful—as Deafheaven’s shift to clean singing on Infinite Granite; the trad shoegaze feels like a retrenchment.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This cavalier attitude toward urban planning has been conjoined to a disingenuousness in the discussion of City Hall’s fate.—
Mark Lamster
Architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Get stuck with a cavalier team of baggage handlers, and it can even get soaked in your favorite fragrance or antiaging serum.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The company’s move underscores how the high-minded intentions that guided AI startups in their early years have increasingly collided with the pressures to make money and beat out the competition.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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The opera offers a look at how the Civil War ended with high-minded statesmanship.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Over Your Dead Body is not for the faint of heart, but give or take a rape threat that crosses the line into smug sadism without quite seeming to realize it, the violence lands as more comically cartoonish than horrific.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
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The ceremony has remained a smug political distraction ever since.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Highfalutin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highfalutin. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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