variants
also hifalutin
1
as in rhetoric
full of fine words and fancy expressions
his highfalutin paean to the working class failed to win over a crowd that wanted to hear down-to-earth proposals for economic relief
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
her highfalutin relatives from New York made the snide remark that her little house "has that lived-in look"
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in superior
having or displaying feelings of scorn for what is regarded as beneath oneself
refused to be intimidated by the highfalutin manner of the sales staff in the fashionable boutique
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in smug
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
"fine Southern cuisine" sounds a bit highfalutin for a barbecue shack
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of highfalutin
After selling more than 150 million albums, filling stadiums for decades and earning highfalutin accolades such as the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and Kennedy Center Honors, Garth Brooks shouldn’t be affected by much.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2024
The general idea is: creative cocktail lounge minus all the highfalutin fuss.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2024
Whitmer makes her case in less than 160 pages with almost no highfalutin language.
—Amanda Uhle, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
Offerman brings a great counterpoint to these highfalutin words with his innate buff-dude physicality.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for highfalutin 
Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2024
The general idea is: creative cocktail lounge minus all the highfalutin fuss.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2024
Whitmer makes her case in less than 160 pages with almost no highfalutin language.
—Amanda Uhle, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
Offerman brings a great counterpoint to these highfalutin words with his innate buff-dude physicality.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for highfalutin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for highfalutin
Adjective
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Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald return as love interest Virginia Venit and arrogant rival Shooter McGavin, respectively, and the cast includes rookies like Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce and pro wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
17 Jan. 2025
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Those include genial second-year resident Dr. King (Taylor Dearden), arrogant intern Santos (Isa Briones), and doe-eyed med students Javadi (Shabana Azeez) and Whittaker (Gerran Howell).—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Although there is a healthy amount of debate, many hockey experts regard CHL leagues as superior to the USHL for attracting NHL prospects.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
25 Jan. 2025
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But the Baker & Hostetler letter claims that the Paramount board eliminated an option to consider superior bids from its sale process.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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On Vanderpump Rules, this man was smug, pathetic, punchable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2025
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João Franco Photo: Bravo/Mark Rogers/Bravo Deckhand/Bosun Below Deck Mediterranean Seasons 3-4 — 2nd Officer/Bosun Below Deck Down Under Season 2 — Why can’t someone knock the smug look off of this deckie turned bosun’s face?—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Commentators and analysts have questioned whether the incoming president's ownership of such a financial asset creates a potential conflict of interest, given his rhetorical commitment to rolling back cryptocurrency regulations once in office.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
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Yet there were some legitimate questions among the rhetorical flares.—
Thomas Elias,
The Mercury News,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In this paper, the researchers did not calculate how strong those differences are, but an important next step is to explore the observational consequences of this model.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
19 Jan. 2025
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The Lions defense got an important stop to start the half, forcing the Commanders to punt for the first time.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Letting go is tough, but Wolfhard is proud of the way the show will conclude.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
27 Jan. 2025
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The two grew up in Deir ez-Zor, the largest city in northeastern Syria, a proud, ancient place on the banks of the Euphrates.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Mark pulled his sister Devon (Jen Tullock) aside at a party for his pretentious brother-in-law Ricken (Michael Chernus).—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
17 Jan. 2025
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Daniel Brühl co-starred as pretentious director Eric Bouchard, with Aya Cash as producer Anita and Billy Magnussen and Richard E. Grant as actors Adam Randolph and Peter Fairchild.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew A cavalier Jude Law as a space pirate meets four kids way too far from home, plus some secrets of the galaxy and the Old Republic.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Dec. 2024
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In her opening statement, Johnson painted Baldwin, who starred in and produced the film, as cavalier with firearms and suggested that the cast and crew faced constraints, ramping up the risk of someone getting injured on set.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
10 July 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Highfalutin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highfalutin. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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