1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude the haughty waiter smirked when I remarked that it was odd that a French restaurant didn't even have french fries on the menu

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective haughty differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of haughty are arrogant, disdainful, insolent, lordly, overbearing, proud, and supercilious. While all these words mean "showing scorn for inferiors," haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

In what contexts can arrogant take the place of haughty?

The words arrogant and haughty can be used in similar contexts, but arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

When might disdainful be a better fit than haughty?

In some situations, the words disdainful and haughty are roughly equivalent. However, disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

When could insolent be used to replace haughty?

While the synonyms insolent and haughty are close in meaning, insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

Where would lordly be a reasonable alternative to haughty?

While in some cases nearly identical to haughty, lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

When would overbearing be a good substitute for haughty?

Although the words overbearing and haughty have much in common, overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

When can proud be used instead of haughty?

The meanings of proud and haughty largely overlap; however, proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

When is supercilious a more appropriate choice than haughty?

The synonyms supercilious and haughty are sometimes interchangeable, but supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

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 haughty Back to all the reasonably expressed horror about Trump expressed in haughty fashion, why all the parallel quietude about the Federal Reserve? John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025 Remember the times when United, with all their haughty ambitions, used to look down on the clunky Thursday-Sunday routine of Europe’s second-tier competition? Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 19 May 2025 Widowed twice, Etheldreda is left to care for her own two children, her haughty stepdaughter, and a peregrine falcon. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 May 2025 Michelle DeYoung presides as the haughty mother, her blood-orange dress a streak of color on the monochrome stage. Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for haughty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haughty
Adjective
  • In addition to Sandler, the 2025 film also sees the return of several familiar faces, including Julie Bowen as Happy’s love interest, Virginia Venit; Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, Happy’s arrogant nemesis; and Ben Stiller as Hal L., the orderly from Happy’s grandmother’s nursing home.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
  • Christopher McDonald plays Happy’s comically villainous, arrogant rival Shooter McGavin, maestro of the finger guns.
    Skyler Trepel, EW.com, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • Bobby Lee is proud of Borderlands, but his experience at the movie's premiere wasn't entirely pleasant.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 26 July 2025
  • But that policy can also backfire – in part because many regions, such as Marathi-speaking Maharashtra in the west – are staunchly proud of their local language.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 26 July 2025
Adjective
  • Trump has even been disdainful or dismissive of the United States’ traditional allies, such as Mexico and Argentina.
    Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2017
  • Wise minds inside the Trump administration will hopefully choose to drop a suit first introduced during by a Biden administration reflexively disdainful of big.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In the video, the cavalier King Charles left people in stitches with her dramatic howls.
    Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
  • In 2021, Yesha Yadav, of Vanderbilt Law School, identified structural fragilities in the market, caused by simple cavalier inattention: Why bother scrutinizing the safest thing out there?
    Mary Childs, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Adjective
  • And no scripture condones the smug enjoyment of it.
    Hannah Sacks, People.com, 30 July 2025
  • For those still on Windows 10 who might be feeling rather smug at avoiding these Windows 11 issues, Windows Latest has just issued a new warning, given that its own recent updates are not faring any better.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Adjective
  • Wentworth needed to find some humility to temper his natural prideful streak.
    Brandon Taylor, Time, 17 July 2025
  • The ability to recite an obscure Lloyd Banks verse earned you some prideful grins or, even better, earnest assistance with your performance.
    Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Haughty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haughty. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on haughty

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!