hauteur
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of hauteur
1620–30; < French, equivalent to haut high ( see haughty) + -eur -or 1
Explanation
Hauteur is an obnoxious display of overbearing pride and superiority over others. Rather than showing humility and respect, a bad king might act with hauteur toward his subjects. The noun hauteur stems from the Old English word haute, meaning "high in one's own estimation." Because it often develops as a result of power over others (or perceived power), it's often associated with royalty or politically powerful figures who throughout history have become vain and arrogant because of their position: A high-powered CEO might show hauteur toward the newly hired assistant; a professional athlete's hauteur may result from the media spotlight and multi-million-dollar contracts.
Vocabulary lists containing hauteur
The Great Gatsby
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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Pride and Prejudice
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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.
Endowed with a formidable hauteur, her Jocasta acts graciously, but with an unmistakable note of condescension.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025
“Whatever nomenclature you prefer,” Elizabeth offers, accentuating her speech with oozing hauteur.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2024
His critics often observed that he might have come much closer to his stated goals had he not expressed and pursued them with such ferocity and impatience, or treated his critics with such hauteur.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2023
Une sanction à la hauteur doit être immédiatement prononcée.
From Washington Post • Nov. 4, 2022
Some critics have even drawn parallels between McCandless and the Arctic’s most infamous tragic figure, Sir John Franklin, a nineteenth-century British naval officer whose smugness and hauteur contributed to some 140 deaths, including his own.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
