haughty

[haw-tee]

adjective

haughtier, haughtiest 

1. disdainfully proud; scornfully arrogant; snobbish; supercilious: a haughty salesclerk.

   haughty aristocrats;

   a haughty salesclerk.

   Synonyms: contemptuous, disdainful, lordly
   Antonyms: unassuming, unpretentious, humble

2. Archaic.,  lofty or noble; exalted.

haughty

/ ˈhɔːtɪ /

adjective

1. having or showing arrogance

2. archaic,  noble or exalted

Other Word Forms

• haughtily adverb
• haughtiness noun
• overhaughtily adverb
• overhaughty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of haughty¹

First recorded in 1520–30; obsolete haught (spelling variant of late Middle English haute, from Middle French, from Latin altus “high,” with h-, from Germanic; compare Old High German hok “high”) + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of haughty¹

C16: from Old French haut, literally: lofty, from Latin altus high

Synonym Study

See proud.

Example Sentences

The directors, called to an emergency meeting at the home of the chairman of the board of the American Steel Corp., have the haughty mien of British aristocrats.

From Los Angeles Times

The air of prestige and haughty pretension that surrounds even the mere mention of the Cannes Film Festival might not conjure the words “shark movie” in your mind.

From Salon

The mute was maddening, but the mute was magnificent, the daily humbling of a haughty hack, an humiliating dose of accountability in a world dominated by thoughtless hot takes.

From Los Angeles Times

Marie-France has always denied this and, at the stand, came across as haughty and frequently defiant in the face of the accusations levelled at her.

From BBC

City Hall, which looms to the south like the haughty older civic cousin it is.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cavalier 
• contemptuous 
• imperious 
• indifferent 
• snobbish 
• snooty