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
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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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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.
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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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Teamsters officials later complained that Harris, who would go on to lose all seven battleground states, was arrogant in her dealings with them.W. James Antle III, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
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Russia, Iran, and many other countries criticize U.S. military interventions as arrogant, ignorant of local context, and unable to fashion either stable regimes or effective security structures.Alexander Baunov, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The matter is far from trivial: Sovereignty would give a country access to potentially significant oil, gas and rare earth resources, as well as superior scientific and military access to the future Transpolar Sea Route.Scott L. Montgomery, The Conversation, 14 Jan. 2025
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Those who wanted to hear music like this could put on superior offerings from Lady Gaga or Kesha.Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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But the second half becomes increasingly generic conspiracy stuff, leading to a two-part conclusion that’s more smug and sanctimonious than the preceding action can justify.Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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But Canada’s distinct political culture makes Trump’s rhetorical dreams far more complicated in reality.Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025
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But this deal quickly turned political, given U.S. Steel's importance to the battleground state of Pennsylvania, and both Biden and Donald Trump came out in rhetorical opposition.Dan Primack, Axios, 2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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What's important is that the occupier cannot currently redirect all this force to other directions, in particular the Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia regions.David Brennan, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2025
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This process delays prosecutors who are racing against the clock, potentially jeopardizing important cases.Zellnor Myrie, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Ben Stiller, the director, executive producer, and a key creative force behind the show, is certainly too famous to show up at this pop-up, let alone stand outside of it among the people, snapping photos on his smartphone like a proud dad at his kid's dance recital.Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 15 Jan. 2025
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Green would likely be proud of the award-winning bottles being produced today.Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Some implied Hill was pretentious for citing Sam Peckinpah, Martin Scorsese, and Taxi Driver as the film’s influences.Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2024
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Like David, Danson appeared as a pretentious and smug version of himself on the beloved series.Esther Kang, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024
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 20 Jan. 2025.
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