highfalutin

American  

[hahy-fuh-loot-n] / ˌhaɪ fəˈlut n /

Also highfaluting or highfalutin',

adjective

Informal.

1. seeming or trying to seem superior, important, etc.; pompous; pretentious.

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highfalutin British  

/ ˌhaɪfəˈluːtɪn /

adjective

1. informal pompous or pretentious

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Etymology

Origin of highfalutin

First recorded in 1830–40; high + falutin (perhaps originally flutin, variant of fluting, present participle of flute )

Explanation

Someone who's highfalutin thinks they're much fancier than other people. Your highfalutin cousin likes to sound impressive by using words like perspicacious and abnegation, though she doesn't really know what they mean. The U.S. slang term highfalutin was coined around 1840, possibly from high-flying or the Yiddish hifelufelem, "nonsense." It's an appropriately folksy word to use when poking fun at people who put on airs. Your highfalutin classmate might constantly quote Shakespeare, show off his expensive new watch, refer often to his travels abroad, and generally act pretentious and condescending toward everyone else.

Example Sentences

Gilgamesh’s lament is not the stylized keening of epic tradition—not Achilles’ highfalutin howls after Hector strikes down Patroclus—but something rawer, humbler, more recognizably human.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

And it could have a huge impact on the game because, at the risk of getting highfalutin, it would require a new way of thinking about time.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2025

Because God, I don’t want to get highfalutin in any way, but we’re in trouble right now in our culture.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

The newest entrant into this juxtaposition extravaganza is soft serve, often linked to summer memories, sticky finger and ice cream cones, and fine dining — sometimes dismissed as highfalutin, nose-in-the-air or stuffy.

From Salon • May 16, 2024

He had mocked her for wanting to charge a thousand-dollar jacket to her room, but maybe that was the reason he came to San Francisco, to live that kind of highfalutin life.

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar