high-minded

adjective

ˈhī-ˈmīn-dəd How to pronounce high-minded (audio)
Definition of high-mindednext
1
as in noble
having, characterized by, or arising from a dignified and generous nature high-minded efforts to improve the lives of people who are less fortunate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance she was too high-minded to admit publicly to watching trashy movies, but privately she loved them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of high-minded Some viewers even felt its liberal use of absurdity in fact grounded the show in the real world compared to the high-minded weepies on daytime, achieving honesty through nontraditional means. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 Moreover, the average person seeing a super PAC ad will not know what was in those filings, but will simply see the high-minded sounding name of the PAC. — Richard J. Davis, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026 Trump and Bibi have done nothing to earn such high-minded NATO support even though the future of Hormuz so directly impacts every member of the alliance. — Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026 Considerably more sympathetic to her plight is Melanie Saunders (Graynor), a high-minded acting teacher whose intensive Act One studio Hannah chances upon while researching her favorite young actress, Gracie Thomas (Tavi Gevinson), online. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for high-minded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-minded
  1. noble
  2. arrogant
  3. great
  4. pretentious
  5. high
  6. grandiose
  7. honorable
  8. pompous
Adjective
  • The idea that, rather than taking your phone out of your pocket to open the Soundcore app to get all the settings, is a noble one, but it's replaced by taking your carry case out of your pocket, unlocking it, and then getting to all the settings.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • So did his friendly rival, John Adams, who wrote of his dream ‘…to see rising in America an empire of liberty, and a prospect of two or three hundred millions of freemen, without one noble or one king among them.
    — Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
Definition of noble
Adjective
  • West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
    — David j. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
  • Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
    — Charles Moss, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of arrogant
Adjective
  • William's sixth-great-grandfather was born in Coventry in 1740 and enlisted as a private in the Connecticut militia.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • Leave some messiness in your garden and leave the leaves, as decaying leaves are great habitat for fireflies.
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Definition of great
Adjective
  • The 101 recipes are chef-smart without being pretentious or complicated.
    — Sheela Prakash, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 July 2026
  • But there’s much to like here — from the two leads, the numerous Bay Area shots (the Golden Gate Bridge should get a supporting actor credit), Nick Offerman as a pretentious, cruel chef and Lukas Gage as a clueless cretin love interest/coworker.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
Definition of pretentious
Adjective
  • Millions of Americans paying higher Affordable Care Act insurance bills in 2026 will once again face double-digit rate hikes next year, marking another cost increase for health insurance that has become prohibitively expensive for some.
    — Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • The effective closure of the waterway after the outbreak of the war saw oil prices surge, fueling concerns about an energy shock that could feed into higher inflation across the globe.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 8 July 2026
Definition of high
Adjective
  • While not quite so grandiose, Valdez says discussions are ongoing regarding the bird’s future.
    — Ryan Steven Green, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • Twenty-six years later, Kaufman was tapped to score indie developer Yacht Club Games’s Mina the Hollower, a throwback to the look and feel of 8-bit GBC games but with the type of colossal world, grandiose story, and elaborate gameplay typically reserved to the Soulsborne games.
    — Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026
Definition of grandiose
Adjective
  • Manliness is a touchy subject these days, but there was a time when honorable combat was respected above the mere running of one’s mouth.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
  • And Florida passed only because one player made the honorable decision.
    — David Mica, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Definition of honorable
Adjective
  • Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • Far from being arty or pompous, Tull laced its sound with a wicked sense of humor and occasional social commentary.
    — Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 25 May 2026
Definition of pompous

Browse Nearby Words

highly
high-minded
high-mindedly
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Cite this Entry

“High-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-minded. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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