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high-toned

American  
[hahy-tohnd] / ˈhaɪˈtoʊnd /
Or high-tone

adjective

  1. having high principles; dignified.

  2. having or aspiring to good taste, high standards, or refinement.

    He writes for a high-toned literary review.

  3. affectedly stylish or genteel.

high-toned British  

adjective

  1. having a superior social, moral, or intellectual quality

  2. affectedly superior

  3. high in tone

"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

Etymology

Origin of high-toned

First recorded in 1770–80

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.