la-di-da

or la-de-da, lah-di-dah

[ lah-dee-dah ]
See synonyms for la-di-da on Thesaurus.com
interjection
  1. (used as an expression of derision directed at affected gentility or pretentious refinement.)

adjective
  1. affected; pretentious; foppish: a la-di-da manner.

noun
  1. an affected or pretentious person.

  2. behavior or speech characterized by affected or exaggerated gentility.

Origin of la-di-da

1
First recorded in 1880–85; derisive imitation of affected, pseudo-elevated speech

Words Nearby la-di-da

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use la-di-da in a sentence

  • But la-di-da people also buy that water in Fiji and have it shipped thousands of miles, so maybe they would have been fine.

  • Outside on the landing Michael heard him say to his wife: "Stuck up la-di-da sort of a ——, isn't he?"

    Sinister Street, vol. 2 | Compton Mackenzie
  • Yes, I could have been very rude to him; only it was beneath me, the uneducated la-di-da savage!

    Sylvia & Michael | Compton Mackenzie
  • Mr. la-di-da, the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it.

    The Tables Turned | William Morris
  • You're enough to make a fellow drunk with your la-di-da behavior.

    Carnival | Compton Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for la-di-da

la-di-da

lah-di-dah or la-de-da

/ (ˌlɑːdiːˈdɑː) /


adjective
  1. informal affecting exaggeratedly genteel manners or speech

noun
  1. a la-di-da person

Origin of la-di-da

1
C19: mockingly imitative of affected speech

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