lofty
Americanadjective
-
extending high in the air; of imposing height; towering.
lofty mountains.
- Synonyms:
- elevated
-
exalted in rank, dignity, or character; eminent.
- Antonyms:
- lowly
-
elevated in style, tone, or sentiment, as writings or speech.
- Synonyms:
- sublime
-
arrogantly or condescendingly superior in manner; haughty.
to treat someone in a lofty manner.
- Synonyms:
- supercilious
- Antonyms:
- humble
-
Nautical. noting a rig of a sailing ship having extraordinarily high masts.
-
(of fabric or yarn) thick and resilient.
adjective
-
of majestic or imposing height
-
exalted or noble in character or nature
-
haughty or supercilious
-
elevated, eminent, or superior
Synonym Usage
See high.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of lofty
Explanation
Lofty is a good word for describing something that's high above the ground, or someone who acts like she's high above everyone else. Dating from the 15th century, lofty originally meant "exalted," or spiritually high, but soon came to mean physically high as well. A towering mountain can be called "lofty." So can someone who walks around with her nose in the air and speaks in a fake English accent. Even if she's only five-foot-two.
Vocabulary lists containing lofty
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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An "August" Assortment: Words Worthy of Honor
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"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The tech sector came under assault as traders fret over the mesmerising sums being pumped into artificial intelligence, with investors questioning whether firms' lofty expectations will be met.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Indeed, that was another lofty ambition: to build consensus across party lines and in the process detoxify Britain's political discourse.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
In recent weeks, the stock market has had to make do without momentum from memory and other highflying chip stocks that had driven lofty first-half gains.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
While only about 1,200 of the 13,500 companies in private-equity portfolios are in the software sector, according to PitchBook, they tied up an outsize portion of firms’ capital after many were purchased at lofty valuations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The appeal of standing in an open gym or high school auditorium to hear lofty promises and platitudes never made much sense to me.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Over time, the promise of fair pricing became enmeshed with an even loftier assurance: by partnering with “ethical factories,” it would sell better-made clothing in a way that didn’t run afoul of the customer’s morals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
In fact, allowing yourself to spend money on hobbies or experiences can actually help you stay on track to accomplish your bigger, loftier goals.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
The prosecution had argued it was a premeditated coup, while Kim claimed far loftier motives.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2025
Clearly, his trajectory had him on a loftier path than Wilmington.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2025
As far as they could judge it went in great mounting curves, and as it rose it grew loftier and wider.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
While Halma’s guidance clears the consensus bar, it might fall short of the loftiest expectations, analysts at Jefferies wrote in a note to clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
US gross domestic product in the third quarter came in at 4.3 percent on an annualized basis, easily topping expectations and the loftiest growth in two years.
From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025
Ascending to football's loftiest heights challenges the senses, and Girona's surefootenedness at this level is already being rigorously tested.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2024
Riley probably knows the Trojans’ loftiest goals are pretty much out of reach for 2023, but he wants his team to stay focused on what’s still possible.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 22, 2023
Most of all, they loved the fact that each of them was as important to her as the loftiest church leader or city mayor.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
