lofty
Americanadjective
-
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
Related Words
See high.
Other Word Forms
- loftily adverb
- loftiness noun
- overloftiness noun
- overlofty adjective
- unlofty adjective
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.
Some investors appear to be getting impatient, pointing to Musk’s lofty promises about the rollout.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
And yet even if this dispute was over lofty principles of judicial supremacy and institutional regard, the court’s later conduct gave the game away.
From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026
That could certainly happen again this time around, but the key thing to remember is that Nvidia’s multiple is unlikely to reach the lofty heights of 50 times any time soon.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
From purely an economic perspective, his impact more than justifies his lofty contract.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Tall battle standards of cloth-of-gold flapped atop lofty poles along the perimeters of the camp.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
