1
as in aristocratic
being or characteristic of a person who has an offensive air of superiority and tends to ignore or disdain anyone regarded as inferior
at the wedding reception the bride's high-hat relatives did their considerable best to ignore us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
several high-hat society types arrived after we did, but they got seated first
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to disdain
to show contempt for
one presidential candidate presents himself as an outsider who has long been high-hatted by the Beltway elite
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to isolate
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely
was high-hatted by an old college friend who's now a power player on Wall Street
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in hard hat
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of high hat
Adam Shell, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025
Going high hat just did not fit, and on Sept. 9, 1927, the Bernheimer flags came down.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2022
Deja stifled a yawn and cranked up her music; the warring bass and high hat thrummed in her chest and kept her mostly awake.
—Brittany N. Williams, NOLA.com, 26 Oct. 2020
The song -- a frenetic trap banger built from buzzy synths and high hat -- debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 on March 2, 2013, the same week Billboard started factoring YouTube streaming data into the chart's methodology.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2019
Here comes one now, rattling catastrophically, like Max Roach whaling on the high hat.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2019
Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
Over the last few years, a bevy of high-hat hotels have begun competing for the Big Apple’s best guests.
—Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2025
For the opening scene, in which a couple makes out in a car, singer Stuart A. Staples croons the title track, with some café jazz accompaniment: Bass, piano, and lightly tapped high-hat.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
The bass, high-hat, guitar, and vocals all remain distinct in this busy mix and benefit from strong detail when the track fully kicks in.
—PCMAG, 10 July 2024
As the drummer counted in on his high-hat my mind went blank: not just on how to play the song, but how to play guitar, how to stay standing, how to blink, breathe, and stay conscious.
—Chris Fleming, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2023
Adjective
Instead of high hats, use wall washers, which bounce light off the walls and space.
—Adam Shell, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025
Going high hat just did not fit, and on Sept. 9, 1927, the Bernheimer flags came down.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2022
Deja stifled a yawn and cranked up her music; the warring bass and high hat thrummed in her chest and kept her mostly awake.
—Brittany N. Williams, NOLA.com, 26 Oct. 2020
The song -- a frenetic trap banger built from buzzy synths and high hat -- debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 on March 2, 2013, the same week Billboard started factoring YouTube streaming data into the chart's methodology.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2019
Here comes one now, rattling catastrophically, like Max Roach whaling on the high hat.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2019
Verb
The sand crackling against the screen door became a high-hat drum.
—Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
Over the last few years, a bevy of high-hat hotels have begun competing for the Big Apple’s best guests.
—Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2025
For the opening scene, in which a couple makes out in a car, singer Stuart A. Staples croons the title track, with some café jazz accompaniment: Bass, piano, and lightly tapped high-hat.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
The bass, high-hat, guitar, and vocals all remain distinct in this busy mix and benefit from strong detail when the track fully kicks in.
—PCMAG, 10 July 2024
As the drummer counted in on his high-hat my mind went blank: not just on how to play the song, but how to play guitar, how to stay standing, how to blink, breathe, and stay conscious.
—Chris Fleming, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high hat
Adjective
-
Despite initial criticism that the updates were too aristocratic or extravagant, according to the White House Historical Association, the architecture is now an integral part of the White House’s appearance.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
-
When both young people meet their end the Baron saves Christina by putting Hans’ brain in Christina’s body, uniting their blurred identities in a joint thirst for revenge, creating a Gothic avenger who hunts down the aristocratic ruffians who ruined their happiness.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Some might see you as arrogant.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Jackson returns as Wes Bryant, a handsome, intelligent, but arrogant man who had just moved to Seattle and was revealed to be a new medical intern at Grey Sloan.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
California’s Democratic establishment disdains Citizen Pratt.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Lewis Wedlock, a social psychologist specializing in masculinities, notes that the term is especially cutting when a man uses it to refer to another man, which can imply disdain for his authenticity and his submission in pandering to women.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Caregiving is too hard and too isolating to do it on your own.—
Kat McGowan,
NPR,
18 Oct. 2025
-
On all three plays, at the snap, the opposing offense had a tight end isolated on the formation to the left side with James in man coverage.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Five years after the plans dropped, Arsene Wenger turned up on site in his orange Wellington boots and a hard hat as part of the topping-out ceremony that celebrates the completion of the structure of a new building.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The boss gave Bevacqua a white hard hat and a yellow safety vest and drove him to the left-field mezzanine in a golf cart.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The vessel has racked up hundreds of five-star ratings for its superior heat distribution and retention.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The dark moniker was the emperor’s way protect European farmers from the much superior indigo coming in from India.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The premiere episode opens with Colter starting a brawl in a small town bar after another patron disrespects the bartender.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
19 Oct. 2025
-
From disrespecting local customs to getting pickpocketed, to forgetting to reapply sunscreen to overpacking, European tour guides have truly seen it all.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Testers noted how plush or stiff the mattress felt after consistent sleep on the mattresses, from a boxed memory foam to a hybrid bed.—
Kristi Kellogg,
Architectural Digest,
5 Oct. 2025
-
When your sugar mixture reaches 230°F, begin beating your egg whites to firm peak stage; egg whites will hold their shape but not quite to stiff peak stage.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“High hat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20hat. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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