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
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Dissimilar Words
as in tomfoolery
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoity-toity
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 16 June 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
And just in case equestrian events aren’t hoity-toity enough, the 2024 dressage and jumping will unfold at the Palace of Versailles.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 24 May 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
And about having specific opinions about art not being some elitist hoity-toity thing.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023
When the Harmonists get their big break at a hoity-toity Berlin establishment, the cast does well sending up overserious waiters, holding platters in front of their crotches for a flurry of phallic jokes.
—Vulture, 13 Nov. 2023
At the same time, though, the property is anything but hoity-toity.
—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2023
Adjective
Art Detectives Here’s a fun twist on a familiar formula: Stephen Moyer and Nina Singh star as a pair of cops investigating crimes in the U.K.’s hoity-toity art world.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 16 June 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
And just in case equestrian events aren’t hoity-toity enough, the 2024 dressage and jumping will unfold at the Palace of Versailles.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 24 May 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
And about having specific opinions about art not being some elitist hoity-toity thing.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023
When the Harmonists get their big break at a hoity-toity Berlin establishment, the cast does well sending up overserious waiters, holding platters in front of their crotches for a flurry of phallic jokes.
—Vulture, 13 Nov. 2023
At the same time, though, the property is anything but hoity-toity.
—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoity-toity
Adjective
-
The protests proved conclusively that Americans will not tolerate the deployment of the U.S. military in American cities, the constant line-stepping over constitutional boundaries, the arrests of political dissenters, or the arrogant defense of police-state tactics.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
-
In Aesop’s fable, the turtle (traditionally called a tortoise, which is a type of turtle) is a winner, a perpetual underdog who defeats the arrogant hare.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
Another aspect to note is that the AI didn’t ridicule me or otherwise play any tomfoolery about my need for assistance.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
-
Would that all life could be filled with such tomfoolery.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
The smug and sanctimonious tenor of their briefing makes that plain.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
-
In a comedic twist, the Labrador retriever was filmed turning back to his owner during the drive, with a smug look on his face as if to boast about his comfortable spot.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
Adjective
-
The threat of Bezos, and the more existential threats posed by capitalism and the government mean that the interests of booksellers and the literal work of book selling is more important than ever.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
-
Getty Images Iran launched a missile strike against the largest American military installation in the Middle East, near Doha, Qatar, in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Iran's most important nuclear sites over the weekend.—
Michele Luhn,
CNBC,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Cowdrey was struck a painful blow by Somerset’s Adrian Jones the following week while trying in vain to lead Kent to the County Championship title and, brutally, his time in charge of the national team was quietly curtailed.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
-
But Simmons takes his time building his flawed character, who is soft-spoken in private, vain about his appearance and unfaithful to his wife.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
The brand’s monkey business button-up collared shirt was worn by Blackpink’s Lisa in one of the opening scenes of the premiere episode.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
19 Feb. 2025
-
No side bets with them or other monkey business!—
Brady Dale,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
But while Boyle is proud of his influence on the zombie film landscape, he’s mostly abstained from watching any of those movies himself.—
Jake Kleinman,
Wired News,
20 June 2025
-
That one small step was just the beginning, paving the way for a succession of shorts and feature-length films that have been proud to wear their sci-fi credentials on their Space Ranger sleeves.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
Rather than directly discounting the TV by £200, Samsung is likely hoping that some people will be put off by the rigmarole of going through the claims process.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
-
The bust was followed by months of prolonged legal rigmarole.—
John Semley,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoity-toity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoity-toity. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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