high-toned

or high-tone

[ hahy-tohnd ]

adjective

1. having high principles; dignified.
2. having or aspiring to good taste, high standards, or refinement:

   He writes for a high-toned literary review.

3. affectedly stylish or genteel.

high-toned

adjective

1. having a superior social, moral, or intellectual quality
2. affectedly superior
3. high in tone

Word History and Origins

Origin of high-toned¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Murders, sundry lesser crimes and a tense climax aside, “Renegade Nell” is light-hearted, cheeky and something short of high-toned in that peculiar British way.

From Los Angeles Times

Wielding a double-barreled shotgun in his review for The New York Times, the critic Stephen Holden dismissed Sparks’s book as “treacly” and called the film “a high-toned cinematic greeting card.”

From New York Times

Today, the city of two million is an international gateway for travelers headed to famous ski destinations like Niseko, a high-toned village catering mostly to foreigners.

From New York Times

It was a curious book, full of high-toned musings about “the Framers’ wisdom” and “the Madisonian-designed political apparatus.”

From New York Times

Too often, when straining to put some daylight between themselves and the Trump administration, regretful Republicans have reached for elaborate excuses and high-toned rhetoric.

From New York Times