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
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
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
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
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
Zazu, Scar’s winged associate, is played with hoity-toity dry wit by Nick LaMedica.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Nov. 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
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
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
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
Zazu, Scar’s winged associate, is played with hoity-toity dry wit by Nick LaMedica.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Nov. 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
Adjective
-
The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.
-
To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
Noun
-
The project has been plagued by technical issues, supplier disputes, and alleged tomfoolery—empty mini tequila bottles were reportedly discovered on one of the airplanes under construction.
-
The latest tomfoolery consisted of a posting on Twitter/X last week that provided a picture of a genuine Monet painting, and the picture was labeled as supposedly being AI-generated.
Adjective
-
Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive.
-
But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.
Noun
-
The forecast for Thursday calls for craziness.
-
Meanwhile, the Spurs had to rush off the court to avoid getting caught up in all the craziness.
Adjective
-
To address those concerns, Hulls has committed roughly $15 million to establish the Good Luck Fund, which acquires and preserves properties considered important to the community.
-
What are the most important values of the community that the superintendent must honor regardless of pressure or politics?
Noun
-
But this was no monkey business April Fool’s joke.
-
Barnett was the second Mississippi resident to take the monkey business into their own hands.
Adjective
-
Tristan Peters made a vain dive for the ball, which got past him and allowed both baserunners to score.
-
Sending him out to sell a vague agreement with Iran is unlikely to win over the hawks who wonder why Tehran is getting off so lightly and whether the war was in vain.
Noun
-
And the rigmarole of international travel is a very good reason.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hoity-toity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoity-toity. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
