lofty
Americanadjective
-
loftier,
comparative
-
loftiest
superlative
-
extending high in the air; of imposing height; towering.
lofty mountains.
- Synonyms:
- elevated
-
exalted in rank, dignity, or character; eminent.
- Antonyms:
- lowly
-
elevated in style, tone, or sentiment, as writings or speech.
- Synonyms:
- sublime
-
arrogantly or condescendingly superior in manner; haughty.
to treat someone in a lofty manner.
- Synonyms:
- supercilious
- Antonyms:
- humble
-
Nautical. noting a rig of a sailing ship having extraordinarily high masts.
-
(of fabric or yarn) thick and resilient.
adjective
-
of majestic or imposing height
-
exalted or noble in character or nature
-
haughty or supercilious
-
elevated, eminent, or superior
Synonym Usage
See high.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of lofty
Explanation
Lofty is a good word for describing something that's high above the ground, or someone who acts like she's high above everyone else. Dating from the 15th century, lofty originally meant "exalted," or spiritually high, but soon came to mean physically high as well. A towering mountain can be called "lofty." So can someone who walks around with her nose in the air and speaks in a fake English accent. Even if she's only five-foot-two.
Vocabulary lists containing lofty
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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An "August" Assortment: Words Worthy of Honor
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"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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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.
See Examples For:
Some have said that this is a solid indication that the stock market isn’t in a bubble, since lofty valuations are usually a signpost of a market bubble forming.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2026
Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors in her medical testing company Theranos after touting lofty promises she couldn't deliver.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
Kiwanuka is a sonic artificer of the highest level, capturing lofty hope and languid melancholia in liquid waves that crash and surge around his voice.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
I got to experience the HomeView up close in Apple’s lofty Tribeca showcase apartment, where one device sat on a marbled kitchen counter and another was mounted on the wall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
He didn’t usually speak in lofty, meaningless ideas.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
If Mamdani has so far shown a pragmatic streak in how he governs that can feel at odds with the loftier promises of his campaign, some friction with his most hard-line voters might be inevitable.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
They may reach arguably loftier artistic heights with “Revolver,” “Sgt. Pepper,” “The White Album,” or “Abbey Road” — take your pick — but “Rubber Soul” embodies the group’s decisive turn towards self-conscious greatness.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
In fact, allowing yourself to spend money on hobbies or experiences can actually help you stay on track to accomplish your bigger, loftier goals.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
Companies with the most tangible ties to AI energy demand are already trading at loftier multiples than tech giants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
The heady taste of success had infused him further with morality and fired him with ambition for loftier attainments.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
The course has since expanded to a rotating cast of Harvard’s loftiest faculty members, each of whom lead two lectures and a weekly seminar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
US gross domestic product in the third quarter came in at 4.3 percent on an annualized basis, easily topping expectations and the loftiest growth in two years.
From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025
Ascending to football's loftiest heights challenges the senses, and Girona's surefootenedness at this level is already being rigorously tested.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2024
He has a new team and a different perspective after being on a team that achieved the loftiest of collective goals.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
They were all three of the loftiest stature of women.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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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.
