la-di-da
or la-de-da, lah-di-dah
[ lah-dee-dah ]
/ ˈlɑ diˈdɑ /
interjection
(used as an expression of derision directed at affected gentility or pretentious refinement.)
adjective
affected; pretentious; foppish: a la-di-da manner.
noun
an affected or pretentious person.
behavior or speech characterized by affected or exaggerated gentility.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
cheeky, cocky, conceited, fresh, haughty, impertinent, know-it-all, pompous, pretentious, sassy, self-important, smug, snippy, snooty, stuck-up, uppity, snobby
Nearby words
Origin of la-di-da
First recorded in 1880–85; derisive imitation of affected, pseudo-elevated speech
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for la-de-da
The la-de-da approach at each election cycle toward the personal health of the candidates continues to shock me.
I will, too, if he preaches any more of his la-de-da society rules to me.
That Girl Montana|Marah Ellis RyanThen I would get a big ulster with 17 astrakhan fur, and take my cane and do the la-de-da down Piccadilly.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. XIX (of 25)|Robert Louis StevensonThe point is that when I was going in, this la-de-da clerk of his, Cecil Gillis, was coming out.
Murder in the Gunroom|Henry Beam Piper
la-di-da
lah-di-dah or la-de-da
/ (ˌlɑːdiːˈdɑː) /
adjective
informal affecting exaggeratedly genteel manners or speech
noun
a la-di-da person
Word Origin for la-di-da
C19: mockingly imitative of affected speech
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
la-di-da
mocking of affected gentility, 1874, in derisive imitation of "swell" way of talking.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper