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haughty

haughty

14 8.1
Acting proud and looking down on other people
  • adjective
  • /ˈhɔːti/
translation icon : altivo
  • The haughty aristocrat looked down on everyone at the party.

How how the first half is so good it has an unpleasantly haughty fedora guy tone.

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Examples

  • "Passengers are not allowed in the kitchen!" he said in a haughty voice.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • And they can seem a little bit haughty or condescending.

  • Oh, proud and haughty, are we?

  • Does it not bother you how haughty they are?

  • None wished to submit themselves to the haughty scrutiny of the Great Man.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Is Mr. Fogg always so proper, haughty and formal?

  • The two men started talking disparagingly, in loud, haughty voices, about the painting.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The secretary who entered the room was beautiful and haughty, as befitted God's handmaiden.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • At the moment, she had a headache, having spent the evening at a gathering of haughty, evangelical socialites.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Boyle sneered indignantly, like a haughty Herod from an old biblical epic.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

arrogant
vshaughty
260 4.5

Behaving as if you are more important or better than other people

is more specifically about contemptuous superiority instead of general self-importance
condescending
vshaughty
65 7.4

Acting as if you are better than other people

is similar but places heavier weight on proud disdain than on tone
pompous
vshaughty
57 5.8

Acting more important and formal than necessary

is more about proud disdain and social superiority than formality
overbearing
vshaughty
30 5.8

Being proud and trying to control other people

is more about proud disdain than direct control or dominance
conceited
vshaughty
24 5.4

Thinking you are much better than other people

adds active contempt for others, not just self-admiration
high-and-mighty
vshaughty
  • Offensive
20 8.2

Acting as if you are better than other people

focuses more narrowly on proud disdain rather than broad self-importance
snooty
vshaughty
16 7.4

Acting as if you are better than other people

is the same superiority but applies beyond social status
snobby
vshaughty
  • Offensive
16 6.3

A person who thinks they are better than other people and looks down on them

is similar but centres on an attitude of proud contempt rather than only dislike
prideful
vshaughty
8 6.1

Feeling or acting as if you are better than other people

is stronger in showing disdain and looking down on others
imperious
vshaughty
8 8.4

Acting like you are better than others and expecting them to obey you

shares arrogance but focuses more on proud contempt than command
disdainful
vshaughty
8 7.0

Showing that you think someone or something is not worth respect

is similar but adds a clear sense of being superior to others
snobbish
vshaughty
  • Offensive
7 5.3

Acting like you are better than other people because of their money or clothes

is broader, stressing general arrogant disdain not only social rank
hoity
vshaughty
5 9.9

Someone who acts proud and shows they feel better than others

is the same proud attitude but focuses more on disdainful contempt
immodest
vshaughty
4 6.8

Thinking you are much better or more important than others

is more specifically about contemptuous superiority instead of general immodesty
supercilious
vshaughty
4 8.9

Acting as if you are better than other people

is the same belief but stresses open disdain as well
sniffy
vshaughty
1 8.5

Acting as if you are better than other people

is similar but emphasizes proud social distance more strongly
bumptious
vshaughty
1 9.9

Too confident and rude in a way that annoys other people

emphasizes disdainful superiority rather than simply forwardness
lordly
vshaughty
1 8.0

Acting very proud and treating others as unimportant

is the same attitude expressed as proud disdain rather than neutral dislike
hifalutin
vshaughty
  • Informal
1 9.9

Very fancy in a way that shows you think you are better than others

is similar but centers on disdain and arrogant superiority rather than affectation
dicty
vshaughty
  • Offensive
9.9

Acting like you are better than other people

is similar but in neutral style rather than informal slang
highfaluting
vshaughty
  • Informal
9.9

Showing off and acting more important than others

focuses more narrowly on proud contempt than on speech style
bullocky
vshaughty
  • Archaic
9.9

Acting too proud and boastful

is more about looking down on others than mere boasting

Antonyms

222 2.8

Not proud and not thinking you are better than others

20 5.8

A person or thing that is not proud and not showy

How Arrogant

supercilious
4 8.9
arrogant
260 4.5
haughty
14 8.1
snobbish
  • Offensive
7 5.3
proud
1.0

Surface Forms

haughty positive
haughtier comparative
haughtiest superlative

Morphology

haughty = haught + y

The element 'haught' is not a productive or recognizable modern English base, so learners cannot reliably derive the adjective's meaning from its parts despite the historical connection to 'high'.

Etymology

Haughty comes from an old French root haut, which means 'high', and is like the English words high and height. So a haughty person acts as if they are 'above' or better than others, which explains the word's meaning of proud, superior behaviour.