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toplofty

American  
[top-lawf-tee, -lof-] / ˈtɒpˈlɔf ti, -ˈlɒf- /
Often toploftical

adjective

  1. condescending; haughty.


toplofty British  
/ ˈtɒpˌlɒftɪ /

adjective

  1. informal haughty or pretentious

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of toplofty

First recorded in 1820–30; back formation of earlier toploftical, extracted from top loft “the uppermost story, topmost gallery”; see top 1, lofty

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:

Reading the toplofty Mr. Grantham, one can almost hear the voice of Shakespeare’s Puck—“What fools these mortals be.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 9, 2026

This settled quality makes Trilling’s letters a bit toplofty and dull.

From New York Times Oct. 1, 2018

But until Big Steel broke its toplofty silence, no one was willing to gamble on the prospects of Geneva doing the job.

From Time Magazine Archive

Meantime toplofty Commissioner Moses got himself into another row.

From Time Magazine Archive

You were too toplofty with her as it was.

From The Street Called Straight by Lowell, Orson

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