hoity-toity

[hoi-tee-toi-tee]

adjective

1. assuming airs; pretentious; highfalutin; haughty.

   He thinks he's better than we are because he went to one of those hoity-toity private schools.

2. giddy; flighty.

noun

1. giddy behavior.

hoity-toity

/ ˌhɔɪtɪˈtɔɪtɪ /

adjective

1. informal,  arrogant or haughty

   we have had enough of her hoity-toity manner

Word History and Origins

Origin of hoity-toity¹

First recorded in 1660–70; reduplicated and altered rhyming compound based on hoit “to romp, riot, play the fool” (now obsolete)

Word History and Origins

Origin of hoity-toity¹

C17: rhyming compound based on C16 hoit to romp, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

“Charlie was basically a Renaissance man who was comfortable in a lot of settings. He wasn’t hoity-toity,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

“All my life, I have been driven by one dream, one goal, one vision,” Chavez told the hoity-toity crowd.

From Los Angeles Times

They don’t appreciate the hoity-toity who look down on everyone else.

From Seattle Times

“It’s kind of hoity-toity,” said RJ Adams, an independent photographer from East New York.

From New York Times

For Nuez, the Federal Way snowboarder who has enjoyed Crystal Mountain, the Ikon Pass price hike reinforces the mountain’s reputation as catering to “a more hoity-toity crowd.”

From Seattle Times