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
Synonym Usage
See high.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
Investors have been dumping chip stocks in recent weeks as skepticism grew over whether AI business growth can justify the sector’s lofty valuations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Despite the lofty expectations, Piper Sandler expect the earnings strength to persist through early 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
A World Cup body of work that, even by the Real Madrid midfielder's lofty standards, has been as mesmerising as we've seen in an England shirt in recent major tournaments.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Haughty, hectoring and pleased with herself, she is single-handedly wrecking her hen-pecked husband Gavin’s lofty political ambitions.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
He led the way, and Pallas Athena followed into the lofty hall.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
An uptick in business air travel is fueling loftier hopes for United Airlines, which is slated to report its holiday-quarter results this week.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 19, 2026
“Whether owing to that striking optimism or some other loftier force at work,” said family member Gregory Small, she had survived with pancreatic cancer for 12 years, a feat that left her doctors dumbfounded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2025
If he fixes the Rockies, he will have achieved something loftier than the Rocky Mountains themselves—and become the envy of his peers forever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
"A loftier way of putting that is we're trying to outcompete the state," said Green, a former intern at the Adam Smith Institute, a pro-free market think tank.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
As the idea of Zeus became loftier, two august forms sat beside him in Olympus.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
While Halma’s guidance clears the consensus bar, it might fall short of the loftiest expectations, analysts at Jefferies wrote in a note to clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
US gross domestic product in the third quarter came in at 4.3 percent on an annualized basis, easily topping expectations and the loftiest growth in two years.
From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025
Ascending to football's loftiest heights challenges the senses, and Girona's surefootenedness at this level is already being rigorously tested.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2024
But the loftiest expectations, from the start, came from former world-class players Charlie Pasarell and Raymond Moore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2024
Most of all, they loved the fact that each of them was as important to her as the loftiest church leader or city mayor.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.