high-sounding
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of high-sounding
First recorded in 1550–60
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.
Hairabedian claimed that in the reported cases “the common denominator is that there was no physical violence but an exchange of high-sounding words.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 6, 2022
Another definition found in the 1889 "Americanisms, Old & New" had "talking turkey" meaning "To use high-sounding words, when plain English would do equally well or better."
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2021
“We have not come together in battle array to assume a boastful attitude and to talk loudly of high-sounding principles,” explained a South Carolina gathering in 1865.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
Nigeria's notorious 419 internet scammers adopted this same tradition of using high-sounding words.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2017
Shakespeare frequently uses violations of decorum for comic effect, as witness Bottom’s muddled attempts at eloquence, Pistol’s braggadocio, and Polonius’s foolish high-sounding waffle.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
