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• high and mighty
  high and mighty

  noun

  persons who are members of or identify with the higher social strata of society, especially those who are powerful or arrogant.
• high-and-mighty
  high-and-mighty

  adjective

  haughty; arrogant.

high and mighty

¹ American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. persons who are members of or identify with the higher social strata of society, especially those who are powerful or arrogant.

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adverb

1. in a self-important, grandiose, or arrogant manner.

   They talk high and mighty, but they owe everyone in town.

   Now don't go getting all high and mighty on me.

high-and-mighty ² American  

[hahy-uhn-mahy-tee, -uhnd-] / ˈhaɪ ənˈmaɪ ti, -ənd- /

adjective

1. haughty; arrogant.

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high and mighty Idioms  

1. Conceited, haughty, as in She was too high and mighty to make her own bed. This expression originally alluded to high-born rulers and was being transferred to the merely arrogant by the mid-1600s.

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Usage

What does high and mighty mean? High and mighty is often used as an adverb meaning in an arrogant or self-important manner, as in Please stop acting so high and mighty—you’re not the boss here. The word mighty means strong, powerful, or of great importance. When someone acts as if they are superior or in charge, they can be said to be acting high and mighty. This is especially the case when they’re not actually superior or in charge. High and mighty can also be used as an adjective, in which case it’s often hyphenated (high-and-mighty), as in Take your high-and-mighty attitude elsewhere—we work as a team here. The phrase can also be used as a collective noun to refer to people who are considered powerful, as in The high and mighty take too much and give too little. The word mighty can be used in the same way, as in The rich and mighty hold all the power. Example: Don’t get all high and mighty with me—I’m the one who trained you.

Other Word Forms

• high-and-mightiness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of high and mighty

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English: originally a title of dignity

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

high and mighty high-and-mighty

And in its high and mighty position, it became an object of ridicule.

From Barron's ● May 2, 2026

But many of the videos are released by police and feature people who have come under far more pressure than the high and mighty of Russia's pop scene.

From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2024

"Well, there goes the high and mighty Gerald Broflovski," one onlooker comments.

From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2022

"If a professor comes in and he’s all high and mighty and using words they don’t understand — that doesn’t help them relax and think," Mehler said.

From Fox News ● Feb. 20, 2022

“But you and I could play a little trick or two on him, so that he would not be so high and mighty in future. So that next time he will listen to his brother.”

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

In taking the high-and-mighty down a peg, Reitman was reintroducing the sort of anti-establishment comedy that had long since vanished from Hollywood films.

From Salon ● Feb. 16, 2022

Lovato’s behavior is reminiscent of her most high-profile defender in this incident, Jameela Jamil, the actress and model who has become infamous for her high-and-mighty online attitude.

From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2021

Another high-and-mighty Oscar-nominated sports drama—this time about baseball— that Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and company somehow turned into both an analytical deep-dive and a fine piece of cinema.

From Golf Digest ● Mar. 19, 2020

To “step out of the ignorance and blinders” of her upbringing, Schneider attended race dialogues and trainings such as Teaching for Change, but she warns other whites not to get high-and-mighty.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 11, 2019

The nation of France, especially, has gotten all high-and-mighty about threatening to remove their associations from South Africa.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• arrogant
• haughty