haughty

[haw-tee]

See more synonyms for haughty on Thesaurus.com

adjective, haugh·ti·er, haugh·ti·est.

disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious: haughty aristocrats; a haughty salesclerk.
Archaic. lofty or noble; exalted.

Origin of haughty

1520–30; obsolete haught (spelling variant of late Middle English haute < Middle French < Latin altus high, with h- < Germanic; compare Old High German hok high) + -y¹

Related formshaugh·ti·ly, adverbhaugh·ti·ness, nouno·ver·haugh·ti·ly, adverbo·ver·haugh·ti·ness, nouno·ver·haugh·ty, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for haughty on Thesaurus.com

1. lordly, disdainful, contemptuous. See proud.

Antonyms

1. humble, unpretentious, unassuming.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for haughty

Contemporary Examples

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Why the World’s Armies Don’t Want U.S. Tech Anymore
Bill Sweetman
July 14, 2014
But haughty talk may not dissuade Italians from following their former leader.
The ‘Unbreakable’ Silvio Berlusconi
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 31, 2013
But these are not times when we need to be uplifted and showered with haughty rhetoric.
Why I'm for Mitt
Justin Green
November 4, 2012
They have to rebut his lies, and they have to do it without sounding bitter or afraid or superior or haughty.
Michael Tomasky on Paul Ryan’s Convention Speech and His Web of Lies
Michael Tomasky
August 30, 2012
And not the least haughty or intimidating or acerbic, but helpful, constructive, and conscientious.
Putting Words in Gore Vidal’s Mouth—a Copywriter Recalls the 1982 Senate Campaign
Robert Chandler
August 6, 2012

Historical Examples

"I crave pardon," interrupted Aspasia, with haughty impatience.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Notwithstanding her haughty air, she was said to be very good and kind.
The Dream
Emile Zola
The haughty droop of the eyes was focussed now upon the Assistant Commissioner.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
The haughty smile was yet on his lip when the door opened and the prince entered.
Calderon The Courtier
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
"Which is as much as to say that I took it," burst from haughty Roland.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for haughty

haughty

adjective -tier or -tiest

having or showing arrogance
archaic noble or exalted

Derived Formshaughtily, adverbhaughtiness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Old French haut, literally: lofty, from Latin altus high

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for haughty

adj.

1520s, an extension of haught (q.v.) "high in one's own estimation" by addition of -y (2) on model of might/mighty, naught/naughty, etc. Middle English also had hautif in this sense (mid-15c., from Old French hautif). Related: Haughtily.

haughty

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}haughty

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples from the Web for haughty

Contemporary Examples

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

But haughty talk may not dissuade Italians from following their former leader.

But these are not times when we need to be uplifted and showered with haughty rhetoric.

They have to rebut his lies, and they have to do it without sounding bitter or afraid or superior or haughty.

And not the least haughty or intimidating or acerbic, but helpful, constructive, and conscientious.

Historical Examples

"I crave pardon," interrupted Aspasia, with haughty impatience.

Notwithstanding her haughty air, she was said to be very good and kind.

The haughty droop of the eyes was focussed now upon the Assistant Commissioner.

The haughty smile was yet on his lip when the door opened and the prince entered.

"Which is as much as to say that I took it," burst from haughty Roland.

haughty

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for haughty

adj.

Origin of haughty