loftily
Americanadverb
-
high in the air; in an imposing or towering manner.
The speaker raised his fist loftily skywards as he spoke, drawing forth cheers from the crowd.
The palace stands loftily at an imposing 2,000 ft above sea level, with an unhindered birds-eye view of a 13th century fort.
-
in a way that is elevated in rank, style, tone, or sentiment.
The editorial begins loftily with a quote from the Roman author Horace.
-
in an arrogant or condescendingly superior way.
I'd be more impressed if the official commissioned a few economic reports, rather than loftily dismissing the arguments of his challengers as “nonsense.”
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of loftily
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.
For decades, Anaheim has loftily labeled the land around the neighborhood around the “Platinum Triangle.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
The president - a wealthy businessman and former liberation struggle icon, once backed by Nelson Mandela to succeed him - loftily declared that he was innocent.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2022
When he talks of Napa farming, Mr. Beckstoffer speaks loftily, invoking paragons of American culture like skyscrapers and jazz.
From New York Times ● May 9, 2020
If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.
From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2019
He dismisses the idea loftily and informs me I know nothing about it.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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.
