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
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.
Despite his conviction in AI drug discovery, Zhavoronkov thinks the AI sector is headed for a correction as investors question lofty valuations of companies with little revenue, low productivity and few tangible assets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
If consumers pull back further as tax returns dwindle and gas prices remain elevated, those lofty expectations could become simply unrealistic.
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
For decades Auroville held fast to its lofty ideals as a self-governing haven for yoga enthusiasts and seekers of spiritual freedom of "all creeds and nationalities".
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
This was the lofty idealism of Neoclassicism, that a building should capture the pure expression of one single grand thought.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
And a cold and annoyed matron led them to her office and sat them down on one side of her desk, while she ascended to the lofty chair behind it.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
