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.

---

highfalutin British  

/ ˌhaɪfəˈluːtɪn /

adjective

1. informal pompous or pretentious

---

Etymology

Origin of highfalutin

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

Example Sentences

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

A second inscription at the Missouri School of Journalism, my alma mater, is also on the mark, though it’s even more mockable and highfalutin: "The Schoolmaster to the People."

From Salon • Jan. 5, 2025

At the risk of getting too highfalutin, I’m reminded of David Foster Wallace’s 1993 essay on the strained dynamic between fiction writers and television.

From Slate • Apr. 26, 2024

Despite the highfalutin framing, the only part of X described above that is not already in some way a part of Twitter, is a means of making payments.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 26, 2023

And are violations of the rule obvious products of mishearing, careless reading, or a chintzy attempt to sound highfalutin?

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker