haughty

adjective

haugh·​ty ˈhȯ-tē How to pronounce haughty (audio)
ˈhä-
haughtier; haughtiest
: blatantly and disdainfully proud : having or showing an attitude of superiority and contempt for people or things perceived to be inferior
haughty aristocrats
haughty young beauty … never deigned to notice usHerman Melville
haughtily adverb
haughtiness noun

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The Connotations of Haughty

Someone who is haughty looks down on others—and that position high above everyone else is present in the word's etymology. Haughty traces back to the Anglo-French halt or haut, which means literally "high."

The word has strong negative connotations. Someone who is described as "haughty" is proud in the worst way. This is not the pride a parent feels for a child who's worked hard at something, and it's not the pride a marathoner feels for completing a race. The word haughty communicates a kind of pride that is obviously full of contempt for others deemed inferior or unworthy.

The word is not applied only to people. Haughty often modifies nouns like glare, look, appearance, and attitude.

Choose the Right Synonym for haughty

proud, arrogant, haughty, lordly, insolent, overbearing, supercilious, disdainful mean showing scorn for inferiors.

proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

Examples of haughty in a Sentence

He rejected their offer with a tone of haughty disdain. the haughty waiter smirked when I remarked that it was odd that a French restaurant didn't even have french fries on the menu
Recent Examples on the Web Kandis Chappell is cool and haughty as Orgon’s mother, Mme. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 And somehow, his charming New England suburb’s haughty but well-meaning real estate broker Dell (a genuinely funny Matt Dillon) tolerates this pastime, despite knowing Phil’s financial reality and emotional outbursts that sometimes sabotage his events all too well. Tomris Laffly, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for haughty 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'haughty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

obsolete haught, from Middle English haute, from Anglo-French halt, haut, literally, high, from Latin altus — more at old

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of haughty was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near haughty

Cite this Entry

“Haughty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haughty. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

haughty

adjective
haugh·​ty ˈhȯt-ē How to pronounce haughty (audio)
ˈhät-
haughtier; haughtiest
: rudely proud in a manner that expresses scorn for others : arrogant
haughtily
ˈhȯt-ə-lē How to pronounce haughty (audio)
ˈhät-
adverb
haughtiness noun

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