Words / C2

HORT-ee/ˈhɔːti/

Haughty means proud in a way that shows you think others are inferior: a haughty tone, haughty disregard. Proud can be neutral; arrogant is a close twin; aloof (already in the dictionary) is distant without necessarily scorning. Height is a lookalike in tired reading. Do not call a precise refusal haughty when the protocol is the reason.

Meaning

Proud in a way that shows you think you are better than others.

Examples

• “A haughty “we do not discuss n” is still a methods failure.”
• “Arrogant is the everyday twin. Proud of a craft can be fair. Aloof is cold distance (already in C2). High and mighty is the idiom. Citing a real embargo is procedure, not haughtiness.”

Good to know

Arrogantly superior. Everyday: arrogant. Contrast: aloof (distant); proud (can be fair). A real rule is not a sneer.

Near in meaning

arrogant

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