variants
also la-de-da
or lah-de-dah
or lah-dee-dah
or lah-di-dah
as in pretentious
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
there's no need to be la-di-da with your friends—we all know that classy accent is a put-on
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for la-di-da
Adjective
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And a slightly surreal, fantastical closing scene is puzzling and pretentious rather than provocative.—
Stephen Farber,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2025 -
Folks in foodie online circles can be pretentious about American-Chinese food.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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At 11:30, as the simultaneously pompous and obsequious gate agent announces the passengers above gold status, the bit, already tilting toward insanity, leaves any attempt to portray a real airport behind and dives fully into Alice in Wonderland–level surrealism.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
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Signaling a stark departure from tradition that, over the centuries, had ranged from formal to pompous, Pope Francis began teaching us, from day one, what the most genuine leadership looks like. Humble.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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On Saturday, on the streets of Washington, Donald Trump will throw himself a costly and ostentatious military parade, a gaudy display of waste and vainglory staged solely to inflate the president’s dirigible-sized ego.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
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The somewhat muted display represented Lamar at his most physically ostentatious.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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The best way to express this high-minded idealism was by mass-producing extremely potent, extremely pure LSD, almost as if its non-dilution was an expression of their own virtue.—
John Semley,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2025
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For generations, students and researchers from around the world have flocked to Boston, drawn not just to a college or university but to a region where high-minded intellectual life was part of its brand.—
Jenna Russell,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The message continued in this grandiose and affirming vein, doing nothing to shake Taylor loose from the grip of his delusion.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
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From interviews with survivors, the authors determined that grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic partners both used strategies aimed at decentering their victims’ sense of self and keeping them emotionally bound.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Then there’s Grady (Topher Grace), the highfalutin sociopath who was supplying the drugs the Buckleys were hauling.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
20 June 2025
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Magazine editors weren’t the only highfalutin New Yorkers who fetishized the Post.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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The smug and sanctimonious tenor of their briefing makes that plain.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
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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
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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
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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
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Cite this Entry
“La-di-da.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/la-di-da. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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