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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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The proliferation of letters in the New Testament is also typical of second-century literary activity; letters written as rhetorical models, using the epistolary form as an intimate vehicle for argument, are everywhere in the later period.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Its sustained support for armed proxy groups in the region — organizations that openly seek Israel’s destruction — demonstrates that this is not merely rhetorical.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Notoriously arrogant comedy legend Kent Romero might first bring to mind Chevy Chase for readers, perhaps even 1980s stars like Judge Reinhold, but with his Venezuelan-American background, he was also inspired by real-life groundbreakers like Freddie Prinze.—
Lee Kelly,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
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As the sun and Jupiter clash, you’re cosmically protected, but arrogant behavior won’t get a pass.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Garrison’s younger son had played basketball for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; this made Garrison proud.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The people are proud of their industrial background.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In The Menu, a 2022 dark comedy that satirizes ultra-fine dining during a pretentious and ultimately violent dinner, Graham’s seaweed appears in the very first course, dramatically draped over a plate of rocks.—
Megan Zhang,
Saveur,
8 Apr. 2026
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The service Finessed but friendly, high touch but never pretentious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The columns that will support the ballroom’s south colonnade have Corinthian capitals, the most ornate type of decorative top for a column.—
Kevin D. Murphy,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
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The handshake with Xi in the ornate East Hall at the Great Hall of the People, a space normally used for meeting foreign heads of state, underscored the reversal in political beliefs for Cheng.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The fact that anyone at the top is shocked by snaking security lines at airports is of a piece with the administration’s rather cavalier approach to contingency planning.—
Juliette Kayyem,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
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Each crossbreed comes from a poodle bred with a cavalier King Charles spaniel, cocker spaniel, or Labrador retriever.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In government, Orbán could be composed and high-minded.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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Despite this high-minded rhetoric, Talarico has benefited from reams of cash from corporate lobbyists, billionaires, and business executives who have flooded Texas on his behalf.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
China has even more reason to be smug.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
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Bateman’s Clark is comfortably semi-famous, semi-smug and also, maybe, a decent guy.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Highfalutin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highfalutin. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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