hoity-toity 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of hoity-toitynext
as in arrogant
informal having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people a bunch of hoity-toity snobs

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

hoity-toity

2 of 2

noun

as in tomfoolery

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 hoity-toity
Adjective
Yes, ping-pong … table tennis for you hoity-toity types. — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2025 Alas, there is no end in sight to the tornado of hoity-toity chaos that is Martin Levy. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025 Not to be hoity-toity or artsy or whatever. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
Most of the players immediately adopt exaggerated foppish courtier characters, complete with hoity-toity accents and hyperbolic graciousness. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026 The estate played the home of Rose Byrne’s hoity-toity Helen Harris III in Bridesmaids (the backyard is where Kristen Wiig’s Annie detonated mid-bridal-shower, cookie in hand). — David Hochman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Ditch your hoity-toity cocktail reception to get down with some hometown talent and hang with a hip-hop heavyweight. — Mars Salazar, Austin American-Statesman, 12 Dec. 2024 From the hoity-toity BAFTAs to the jovial People’s Choice Awards, the events this past week were pretty varied. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoity-toity
  1. arrogant
  2. tomfoolery
  3. important
  4. craziness
  5. smug
  6. monkey business
  7. vain
  8. rigmarole
Adjective
  • Elon Musk — Ike Barinholtz has Musk wandering in from another movie, or dimension, a ramble-y, arrogant but ultimately comically non-threatening figure.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The loud-mouthed cameos from ex-soccer players Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eric Cantona in Nike’s World Cup hero film Rip the Script were indicative of this, chiming with an older, more arrogant vision of Nike seen in the ’90s and the aughts.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogant
Noun
  • After the film’s theatrical release on June 26, the decades-long saga of pranks and tomfoolery is finally coming to an end.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • New assistant coach Alice Chilton is a blatant remodeling of Roy Kent — a brusque ex-soccer player who’s reluctant to engage with Ted’s tomfoolery or personal prodding — but Tanya Reynolds’ performance is equal turns wounded and witty.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of tomfoolery
Adjective
  • However, the Georgia program remains an important step in establishing how the technology will work within real railway operations.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Between Fletcher’s corn dogs, some Deep Fried Fat, Texas/OU at the Texas State Fair remains in the top five of college sporting events, and this version of a rivalry that is so important to this region lived up to its stature.
    — Mac Engel October 10, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of important
Noun
  • Use these Prime Day leftovers as a chance to restock cleaning essentials before the holiday hosting craziness begins.
    — Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Jacksonville has a successful Triple-A franchise, the Jumbo Shrimp, that won its league last year, bringing fun theme nights, quirky mascots and between-inning craziness.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of craziness
Adjective
  • Here was my chance to get out of London, this counterfeit of death with its everywhere rage and its moribund culture and its smug population and its streets steeped in resentment and the sky pressing down like a chloroform rag.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Hilton vouches for their integrity, then quickly pivots into an attack on smug Democrats who take voters for granted.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of smug
Noun
  • But this was no monkey business April Fool’s joke.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
  • Barnett was the second Mississippi resident to take the monkey business into their own hands.
    — Bracey Harris, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Definition of monkey business
Adjective
  • Jeon Do-yeon, who plays the family’s matriarch, is colorfully slinky as a globe-trotting party widow, a vain, compulsively seductive narcissist who macks on her daughters’ men like a Real Housewife given a villain’s edit.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The character is a vain celebrity author known for his theatrics and questionable character.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of vain
Noun
  • And the rigmarole of international travel is a very good reason.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
  • Alternatives were mooted, such as filming in England, but flying all the crew from Poland, and their associated visa requirements, would have added to the rigmarole.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of rigmarole

Browse Nearby Words

hoists
hoity-toity
hokey
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Hoity-toity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoity-toity. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nexus

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All