la-di-da
Americaninterjection
adjective
noun
-
an affected or pretentious person.
-
behavior or speech characterized by affected or exaggerated gentility.
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Etymology
Origin of la-di-da
First recorded in 1880–85; derisive imitation of affected, pseudo-elevated speech
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her catchphrase, “Oh well, la-di-da, la-di-da,” became iconic.
From Los Angeles Times
Ms. Keaton’s la-di-da breeziness was one of her most sneakily beguiling qualities; she came across as the best friend you’d love to confide in because you knew she didn’t hold herself higher than you.
“If you send him here, to this la-di-da school, he’ll forget who he is and be afraid of his own people.”
From New York Times
"At the risk of sounding la-di-da, this is, truly, my Proustian madeleine."
From Salon
And then, la-di-da, they’ll go back to pretending this is a normal presidency rather than a runaway train.
From Washington Post
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.