lofty
Americanadjective
-
loftier,
comparative
-
loftiest
superlative
-
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:
Similarly, Datadog, which makes tracking and cybersecurity software, plunged after its third-quarter growth forecasts lagged lofty investor expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The boom results were posted despite South Korean stocks suffering a sharp sell-off on Wednesday as nervous traders unwound AI-driven bets, fretting whether lofty profit forecasts are realistic.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Several weeks into the rollout, the lofty goals of the accounts are being confronted by day-to-day realities.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Paying up for stakes in the hottest startups is a riskier strategy than venture capital’s traditional approach, one that can lead to disappointment if companies fail to live up to lofty expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
“I was so looking forward to this day,” sighed Mr. Lemoncello from his lofty perch.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Gomez, a 2025 graduate of Da Vinci Communications, has a loftier long-term goal: amassing at least $1 million in his Roth by age 65.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
An uptick in business air travel is fueling loftier hopes for United Airlines, which is slated to report its holiday-quarter results this week.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 19, 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 the idea of Zeus became loftier, two august forms sat beside him in Olympus.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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
He has a new team and a different perspective after being on a team that achieved the loftiest of collective goals.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
They were all three of the loftiest stature of women.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
