as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
I won't deal with you until you get off your high horse and stop patronizing me
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Recent Examples of high horse
Esparza So in the aftermath, Biles was humble, while Gaines was gracious (from a rather high horse).
—
Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 12 June 2025
And, by the way, Tim Walz gets on his high horse about mind your own damn business.
—ABC News, 11 Aug. 2024
That said, Stanbury is approaching the show with a much more expressive approach to showing her life after being knocked off her high horse last season.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 3 June 2024
Jayden, continuing to gallop on his high horse, has trusted himself as the saviour of their relationship and by proxy, Tori.
—Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 12 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for high horse
Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 12 June 2025
And, by the way, Tim Walz gets on his high horse about mind your own damn business.
—ABC News, 11 Aug. 2024
That said, Stanbury is approaching the show with a much more expressive approach to showing her life after being knocked off her high horse last season.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 3 June 2024
Jayden, continuing to gallop on his high horse, has trusted himself as the saviour of their relationship and by proxy, Tori.
—Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 12 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for high horse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high horse
Noun
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Whether out of arrogance, capriciousness, or collective amnesia, this recent history was ignored.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
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Vince is benched for his arrogance, but eventually turns his attitude around and leads East Dillon to the state championship — while Jordan's stellar performance in the compelling story arc cemented his rising-star status.—
Ken Simmons,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Barbara isn’t a caricature but a deeply human portrait of a woman whose worldview swings wildly between moral superiority and intense self-doubt, both extremes that foreclose human connection.—
Isle McElroy,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
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In practice, Israel’s security strategy has historically focused on maintaining strong conventional military superiority to avoid ever reaching such a scenario.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“High horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20horse. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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