highfalutin

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1. USinformalSelf-important, pompous; arrogant or egotistical.

   His speech was very highfalutin.

   5 more examples

   It's only a matter of time before some highfalutin developer builds a huge hotel and ruins the scenery.

   That one Cajun that moved to Austin is too highfalutin to come back to Livingston Parish. He's over there with that mean bread lady!

   When it comes down to it and it's time to get it on / Ain't no way to do it / If you find yourself alone / 'Cause all your highfalutin / Ain't worth nothin' when you're old / When it comes down to it / Love will get you more than gold

   1975, “When It Comes Down to It”, in Adventures in Paradise, performed by Minnie Riperton

   There’s been a spate of stories lately about how Cruz’s rhetoric is more hifalutin than everybody else’s. He uses lots of big words and dependent clauses.

   2015 November 1, Hendrik Hertzberg, “That G.O.P. Debate: Two Footnotes”, in The New Yorker, archived from the original on 13 Feb 2016

   As a rhetorical maneuver, invoking common sense has the advantage of distancing oneself from a complicated, highfalutin legal analysis.

   2026 May 29, Will Baude, Richard Re, “The Supreme Court’s common sense problem”, in SCOTUSblog, archived from the original on 06 Jun 2026

   Synonyms: bombast, hoity-toity, pretentious

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1. archaicuncountablePompous speech or writing.

   Don't write so much highfalutin next time.

   1865, Benn Pitman, The Assassination of President Lincoln: And the Trial of the Conspirators, page 43

   1 more example

   "We will, we will," shouted the Puddin'-owners; but the Puddin' said sourly: "This is all very well, all this high falutin'."

   1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 169