high-flown

American  

[hahy-flohn] / ˈhaɪˈfloʊn /

adjective

1. extravagant in aims, pretensions, etc.

2. pretentiously lofty; bombastic.

   We couldn't endure his high-flown oratory.

   Synonyms:

   grandiloquent, magniloquent, flowery, florid

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high-flown British  

adjective

1. extravagant or pretentious in conception or intention

   high-flown ideas

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Etymology

Origin of high-flown

First recorded in 1640–50

Explanation

A person is considered high-flown if he tries to sound smarter or fancier than he really is. The adjective high-flown particularly comes in handy when you're describing overblown, pretentious writing. You can also describe overly lofty plans as high-flown: "The six year-old's intention to build a tree house with wall-to-wall carpeting, electric lights, and plumbing seemed a little high-flown to me."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

high-flown

In the high-flown rhetoric of venture capital, the company’s CEO imagines a world where everything becomes an NFT, with no limits to where OpenSea’s 2.5 percent commission can reach.

From The Verge ● Feb. 2, 2022

Like Bennett, Davies isn’t afraid of obvious debts to cinema; some of the high-flown motifs in the first movement of her “What Did We See?” might bring to mind John Williams’s “Star Wars” scores.

From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2021

You’d hardly want to be seen writing in the Café de Flore in Paris, would you, no matter how high-flown your topic.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 28, 2020

But such moments are rare and, for the most part, “The City We Became” is thrillingly expansive without ever becoming abstract or high-flown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2020

I felt extremely shy, wary of committing a faux pas, and unequipped to participate in the high-flown and rapid-fire conversations.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela