loftily

American  

[lawf-tuh-lee, lof-] / ˈlɔf tə li, ˈlɒf- /

adverb

1. 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.

2. in a way that is elevated in rank, style, tone, or sentiment.

   The editorial begins loftily with a quote from the Roman author Horace.

3. 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.”

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Other Word Forms

• overloftily
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of loftily

lofty ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loftily

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

“It probably isn’t very logical or efficient to use music to investigate the true nature of being and the human condition,” Kate Soper writes in the notes for her loftily titled new album.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2022

And in 10th, there’s North Carolina, already perceived so loftily ahead of the third season of the second iteration in Chapel Hill for Coach Mack Brown.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 16, 2021

He has raised expectations so loftily, even saying publicly that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for merely helping to bring the summit about.

From Slate ● May 17, 2018

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