variants
also la-de-da
or lah-de-dah
or lah-dee-dah
or lah-di-dah
as in pretentious
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
there's no need to be la-di-da with your friends—we all know that classy accent is a put-on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for la-di-da
Adjective
-
Buckle up for this globe-trotting, CGI-heavy adventure that combines apocalyptic spectacle and family drama in the least pretentious way possible.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025 -
Jimbo, the most ridiculously pretentious egomaniac in rock-star history, seemed so excessive that no actor could play him, but Val Kilmer was up to the task.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Nelis renders the professor a pompous and pedantic twit but not a heartless one.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Our rituals and our cassocks are pompous.—
Paul Elie,
The New Yorker,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The Italian godfather of fashion kept his ostentatious interior hush hush until the yacht’s 2018 delivery.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
21 Apr. 2025
-
At least one brand of chocolate has always advertised itself in ostentatious settings and at high-end parties and events.—
David T. Nudelman,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The best way to express this high-minded idealism was by mass-producing extremely potent, extremely pure LSD, almost as if its non-dilution was an expression of their own virtue.—
John Semley,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2025
-
For generations, students and researchers from around the world have flocked to Boston, drawn not just to a college or university but to a region where high-minded intellectual life was part of its brand.—
Jenna Russell,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The performances are April 25 at 7:30 p.m. and April 27 at 2 p.m. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will accompany the company’s biggest and most grandiose productions in years featuring a diverse cast, including a Grammy Award winner, a Grammy nominee and up-and-coming vocalists.—
James Russell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2025
-
What sounded grandiose in the preelection days seems today like a reasonable summary of the path Trump and his allies have chosen.—
Stephen Engelberg,
ProPublica,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The dialogue is overly ornate, with long monologues filled with highfalutin references, and there’s no distinct characterization: A Bronx pawnbroker talks the same as a Manhattan equities trader.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Its story clearly spoke to the widest swath of voters, even if many pundits predicted that the tonier, more highfalutin adult drama Conclave would emerge as a consensus winner.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The washers contain a large haul of cocaine, which Mia and Charlie are tasked with delivering to the Chinatown hangout of smug young local Triad boss Tsui Fong (Jeremy Ang Jones) to square up a debt.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2025
-
This brings me back to the siege of Jackson, which happens at the same time as Abby’s smug speechifying and Joel-torturing up at the lodge.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That doesn’t portray a hero, but rather someone so arrogant as to invent his own law and appoint himself its executioner.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Fed Up in Illinois Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately?—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“La-di-da.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/la-di-da. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share