Synonyms of highfalutin

highfalutin

adjective

ˌhī-fə-ˈlü-tᵊn 

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

• rhetorical
• ornate
• purple
• grandiloquent
• eloquent
• florid
• high-sounding
• high-flown
• flowery
• pretentious
• excessive
• grandiose
• aureate
• boastful
• pompous
• inflated
• fancy-pants
• bombastic
• stilted
• magnific
• bloated
• fulsome
• flattering
• affected
• bookish
• lofty
• learned
• elevated
• inkhorn

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prosaic
• simple
• direct
• plain
• matter-of-fact
• unpoetic
• straightforward
• lean
• spare
• unadorned
• bald
• stark
• natural
• unpretentious
• unaffected
• plainspoken

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"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrogant
• superior
• cavalier
• pretentious
• important
• high-and-mighty
• uppity
• supercilious
• bumptious
• haughty
• pompous
• sniffy
• assumptive
• uppish
• dominant
• presumptuous
• chesty
• high-handed
• masterful
• huffy
• smug
• domineering
• lofty
• imperious
• high-hat
• presuming
• overweening
• toplofty
• authoritarian
• lordly
• huffish
• patronizing
• peremptory
• proud
• dominating
• snooty
• self-assertive
• snobbish
• pontifical
• snobby
• condescending
• impudent
• saucy
• magisterial
• self-asserting
• bossy
• vainglorious
• bombastic
• boastful
• stiff-necked
• disdainful
• vain
• egocentric
• hubristic
• cocky
• narcissistic
• pontificating
• conceited
• impertinent
• swaggering
• blustery
• egotistic
• blusterous
• egoistic
• braggy
• immodest
• complacent
• uninhibited
• stuck-up
• bragging
• braggart
• prideful
• self-complacent
• self-flattering
• self-satisfied
• self-centered
• brash
• extroverted
• self-conceited
• self-promoting
• self-affected
• unreserved
• orgulous
• self-pleased
• self-loving
• self-applauding
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• modest
• humble
• unpretentious
• lowly
• timid
• bashful
• sheepish
• shy
• diffident
• subdued
• passive
• mousy
• introverted
• demure
• deferential
• shrinking
• unassuming
• meek
• unobtrusive
• compliant
• unarrogant
• unassertive
• acquiescent
• submissive
• quiet
• yielding
• unaggressive
• overmodest
• self-critical
• self-doubting
• reserved
• cringing
• retiring
• cowering

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• proud
• arrogant
• cavalier
• smug
• superior
• haughty
• disdainful
• lofty
• selfish
• prideful
• domineering
• lordly
• pretentious
• snobbish
• uppity
• vainglorious
• important
• supercilious
• conceited
• confident
• high-sounding
• pompous
• egotistic
• vain
• self-important
• egoistic
• dominating
• patronizing
• condescending
• bombastic
• swaggering
• complacent
• overbearing
• sniffy
• cocky
• impudent
• boastful
• saucy
• presumptuous
• brassy
• stuck-up
• self-satisfied
• self-contented
• overconfident
• cheeky
• overweening
• self-conceited
• egocentric
• audacious
• peremptory
• bloated
• impertinent
• self-assertive
• cocksure
• brash
• bossy
• bold
• masterful
• self-glorifying
• magisterial
• imperious
• high-handed
• sure
• self-assured
• self-centered
• forward
• self-confident
• presuming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• modest
• humble
• lowly
• unassuming
• unpretentious
• homely
• meek
• timid
• unpretending
• demure
• bashful
• shy
• diffident
• retiring
• deferential
• compliant
• ingratiating
• unassertive
• passive
• apologetic
• acquiescent
• submissive
• quiet
• yielding
• resigned
• shrinking
• unobtrusive
• subdued
• reserved
• self-doubting
• cringing
• cowering

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrogant
• pretentious
• high-minded
• grandiose
• ostentatious
• pompous
• proud
• smug
• la-di-da
• snippy
• affected
• high-sounding
• grandiloquent
• cavalier
• high-and-mighty
• uppity
• aggressive
• vain
• vainglorious
• sententious
• bumptious
• hoity-toity
• snobbish
• important
• confident
• rude
• conceited
• snobby
• high-flown
• supercilious
• egotistic
• presumptuous
• haughty
• high-toned
• egoistic
• high-handed
• self-important
• complacent
• imperious
• prideful
• high-hat
• assertive
• disdainful
• overweening
• boastful
• sure
• self-aggrandizing
• impudent
• superior
• showy
• self-complacent
• glitzy
• self-centered
• self-satisfied
• gaudy
• brassy
• airy
• cocky
• self-dramatizing
• self-conceited
• insolent
• cheeky
• self-glorifying
• flashy
• self-obsessed
• flamboyant
• stuck-up
• lordly
• garish
• self-promoting
• audacious
• self-assertive
• self-pleased
• bold
• self-asserting
• splashy
• self-assured
• braggart
• flaunting
• bragging
• self-confident
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• modest
• unpretentious
• humble
• unassuming
• homely
• lowly
• down-to-earth
• meek
• passive
• retiring
• timid
• quiet
• shy
• bashful
• unassertive
• demure
• reserved
• mousy
• diffident
• overmodest

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of highfalutin

If this sounds a little highfalutin, the film manages to pull it off with its examination of trust, isolation, and instinct. — Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026

To use a highfalutin film-theory term, Reign of Fire is totally bonkers, and Bale and co-star Matthew McConaughey have a blast playing survivors waging war against the beasts. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026

Standing 787 feet tall, the tower was one of the last of the era — when downtown Dallas’ skyline was defined by highfalutin oil execs, bankers, financiers and the architects who used steel, concrete and glass to erect opulent monuments to their economic success. — Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026

The comments of his teammates sounded highfalutin compared to Perry’s own assessment of his hot start with the Kings, one that was delayed by preseason knee surgery. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 31 Oct. 2025