1
as in highbrow
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2
as in sententious
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Recent Examples of high-toned
The gambit that Shelley somehow comes to possess her fictional creation is sustained, as Ida alternates between a very American dialect and a more high-toned British accent.
—
Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
The coastal Mediterranean meets West Indies vibe feels right at home in South Florida, and the refined yet relaxed decor is similarly suited to the locale’s high-toned but low-key environment.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2025
That’s just the latest accolade for the Yorba Linda municipal course that continually scores above its weight in a high-toned category.
—Greg Mellen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Many global rums are clean and light by design; Hampden’s are unabashedly expressive—ripe, high-toned, and unmistakable.
—Gina Pace, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Blake is accused of having drifted into high-toned seriousness; Albert, now writing for television, is branded a sellout.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Bright high-toned notes of cherry and strawberry show on the palate with an intriguing texture that hints at a bit of tannin.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
The coastal Mediterranean meets West Indies vibe feels right at home in South Florida, and the refined yet relaxed decor is similarly suited to the locale’s high-toned but low-key environment.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2025
That’s just the latest accolade for the Yorba Linda municipal course that continually scores above its weight in a high-toned category.
—Greg Mellen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Many global rums are clean and light by design; Hampden’s are unabashedly expressive—ripe, high-toned, and unmistakable.
—Gina Pace, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Blake is accused of having drifted into high-toned seriousness; Albert, now writing for television, is branded a sellout.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Bright high-toned notes of cherry and strawberry show on the palate with an intriguing texture that hints at a bit of tannin.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-toned
Adjective
-
The tension between highbrow and lowbrow comedy, and what is deemed acceptable by image-conscious Black middle-class audiences, continues to ignite fierce debate—nearly a century after Stepin Fetchit first appeared on-screen.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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This kind of boosterism—no less evident in Bernard Lewis’s highbrow argument in The New Yorker that Muslims fear modernity than in Niall Ferguson’s entreaties for the Bush Administration to resume the British Empire’s task of civilizing the natives—always seemed bafflingly sterile to me.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This conclusion will shock anyone who knows Twain only through his writing, in which the author is wise and witty and, above all, devastating in his portrayal of frauds, cretins, and sententious bores.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
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Audiences have no choice but to exist in the theatrical moment, without recourse to linear logic, sententious language or psychological epiphanies.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Both suffer from cerebral swelling (an oddly specific detail).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Rather than lean into the chaos the challenge seemed to demand, Jane went cerebral.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 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
-
Crabapple is an artist and author known for lucid leftie takes, and her book takes on the thorny history of a vibrant intellectual tradition.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
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The man’s still handsome, laid back, intellectual and gives a sly smile here and there.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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There was Coppola’s over-the-top defense of his friend with a grandiloquent gesture (Tanen declined to sell).—
Michael O’Donnell,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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Reform—Within Reason Malthus aimed to puncture Godwin’s grandiloquent progressivism.—
Roy Scranton,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
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One does detect in Iran hawks a kind of 'will to destruction' and hatred of boring, civilized diplomacy.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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So, their musicianship is deeper and more cultured, and the techniques are shared.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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The syrupy sweetness brought to mind a pancake, while the faintly cultured cheese turned it savory.—
Cesar Hernandez,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“High-toned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-toned. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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