1
as in tall
extending to a great distance upward the ever-increasing lofty heights of the world's skyscrapers

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2
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude she acts all lofty and superior just because she went to an Ivy League college

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How does the adjective lofty contrast with its synonyms?

The words high and tall are common synonyms of lofty. While all three words mean "above the average in height," lofty suggests great or imposing altitude.

lofty mountain peaks

When might high be a better fit than lofty?

The meanings of high and lofty largely overlap; however, high implies marked extension upward and is applied chiefly to things which rise from a base or foundation or are placed at a conspicuous height above a lower level.

a high hill
a high ceiling

When can tall be used instead of lofty?

Although the words tall and lofty have much in common, tall applies to what grows or rises high by comparison with others of its kind and usually implies relative narrowness.

a tall thin man

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lofty Like so many great figures of history, Nkrumah is a complicated person, one who preached lofty ideas that his own human nature prevented him from consistently living up to. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025 Passive has further enabled the birth of Big Tech, mega-cap market hegemons that reap outsized riches from self-reinforcing lofty valuations. Mike Terwilliger, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025 Sohn noted that concerns about potentially higher inflation, combined with high budget deficits, could keep the 10-year Treasury yield at a lofty level even after the Fed cuts rates. Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025 Terms of UsePrivacy Policy Terms of UsePrivacy Policy Luckily, making your home date-ready doesn’t require lofty home renovation projects. Essence, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lofty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lofty
Adjective
  • In the 59th minute, there was the familiar experience of a taller, stronger player (Andy Irving) trying to take a chunk out of him.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Melodee Buzzard is described by police as being around 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing approximately 60 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
    Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.
    David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Elsewhere, the details lifted from the book suffer in translation – Branagh’s Victor is appropriately arrogant but not adequately tortured; De Niro’s Monster is sensitive and intuitive, but drowns in the film’s hurried, hollow second half.
    Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Both of our co-founders, along with much of our leadership team, are proud Kentucky natives.
    Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Oct. 2025
  • In photos from the show, the proud mom and aunt could be seen walking down the runway hand-in-hand with her two sons, while Zaya led the way in front of them.
    Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The noble notion of authorship itself.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • All the iconography and romanticism around the patriots’ noble cause can mask the contradictions of the era.
    Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Creature survives, becomes smarter and even eloquent, and vengefully chases Frankenstein all the way to the Arctic.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Kidman was eloquent and warm, leavening her more introspective thoughts with a twinkly laugh.
    Wendell Steavenson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Cobra Kai star Tanner Buchanan readies for a STRONG Nation high-intensity workout class in Atlanta over the weekend.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • This week, those effects point to cheaper short-term money, a debate about December, and a high premium on the Fed’s forward guidance.
    Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In the small Campo dei Tolentini, presided over by the haughty neoclassical columns of the eponymous church, a queue straggles from a tiny bar.
    Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Lellouche stars as unlikely hero Zem, a disillusioned Zone 3 cop with an idealistic militant past, who is teamed with haughty, high-flying Zone 2 officer Salia, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos, after a leading politician is assassinated in Zone 1.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The 20-year-old was one of many players in the Argentinian squad with solid top-flight experience for their clubs, racking up 13 starts in midfield for Boca Juniors, after being given his opportunity by the great Fernando Gago back in May 2024.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • For me, it’s been really essential to read a lot of great information, and to come at the world filled with knowledge and all these ideas of, in my view, much smarter and braver people than myself.
    Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lofty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lofty. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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