haughtiness
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of haughtiness
Explanation
If you are shy and have a hard time talking to others, people might wrongly interpret your quietness as haughtiness. Haughtiness is thinking a lot of yourself and not much of others. The word haughtiness originally comes from the Old French adjective haut meaning "high" and later developed to mean having a high estimation of yourself. When you think of the word, imagine a Queen riding by on a horse, chin upturned, not paying any mind to her subjects below. Her Highness might as well be called Her Haughtiness up there.
Vocabulary lists containing haughtiness
"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
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The Bluest Eye
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The Whipping Boy
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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.
He began as a William Morris socialist but quickly became suspicious of any sweeping social panacea, to the point of intellectual haughtiness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Few pleasures make cold cruelty warm the soul quite as well, because few look at the genre with such a knowing blend of appreciation and haughtiness.
From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2025
Consider the haughtiness of her unforgettable dowager in “Gosford Park” set against the character’s dire financial straits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024
Macron has crystallised anger with a series of faux pas and cutting remarks over the past six years that have left a lasting impression of haughtiness among the general public.
From Reuters ● Apr. 28, 2023
“What think you, Luxa?” he asked, showing her his profile with exaggerated haughtiness.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
