high-flown

adjective

ˈhī-ˈflōn How to pronounce high-flown (audio)
Definition of high-flownnext
1
as in rhetorical
full of fine words and fancy expressions gave a high-flown reply instead of a simple "yes" or "no" answer

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in eloquent
very dignified in form, tone, or style high-flown speeches about the nobleness of their cause

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-flown
  1. rhetorical
  2. eloquent
  3. ornate
  4. formal
  5. majestic
  6. literary
Adjective
  • To judge by the vocabulary deployed in its pages, the book belongs in the inner sanctum of literary theory, where the walls are hung with gnarly rhetorical tropes.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • For one, what South Korea is calling a policy shift is largely rhetorical and little different in substance from the previous approach, says KIDA's Lee Ho-ryung.
    — Se Eun Gong, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of rhetorical
Adjective
  • When Kent Jones was a critic at Film Comment, he was known for, among many other things, his eloquent and insightful analyses of performance.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 4 Aug. 2026
  • What’s far more eloquent is the episode with the witch Circe (a terrific Samantha Morton), whose habit of tricking and transforming men into animals is rendered in evocatively physical, body-horror-esque imagery.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 July 2026
Definition of eloquent
Adjective
  • Church representatives hosted several open houses for the public to see the new temple’s ornate rooms.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The star of the excavation was an ornate Roman mosaic made of thousands of tiny stone cubes arranged in a floral pattern.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of ornate
Adjective
  • The framework the surgeons built around it required formal disclosure of the atlas's origin to readers, to surgical teams, and to patients, along with bioethicist review and a memorial to the people depicted.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Iran’s government holds annual formal ceremonies in Tehran to honor their memory.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of formal
Adjective
  • The large, majestic tree in your neighbor’s yard may not be on your property, but its roots might be.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The team effort to give the majestic bird a chance means a lot and shows how loved the bald eagles of Big Rock Park are.
    — Jessica Guay, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of majestic
Adjective
  • Kawakami’s novel became an international literary sensation, reaching English-language readers and more than a dozen other markets worldwide.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • James Patterson is a literary juggernaut who has written or cowritten more than 200 books; his latest, DELUSIONAL, comes out this month.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of literary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

highfliers
high-flown
high-flying
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Cite this Entry

“High-flown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-flown. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of high-flown for Spanish Speakers

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