loftier; loftiest
1
a
: elevated in character and spirit : noble
lofty ideals
b
: elevated in status : superior
the less lofty customers of the bar
2
: having a haughty overbearing manner : supercilious
She showed a lofty disregard for their objections.
3
a
: rising to a great height : impressively high
lofty mountains
b
: remote, esoteric
basic precepts are not lofty abstractions far removed from matters of daily livingD. D. Eisenhower
4
: having full-bodied, firm, and resilient textile fibers
lofty flannel
loftily adverb
loftiness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for lofty

high, tall, lofty mean above the average in height.

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

tall applies to what grows or rises high by comparison with others of its kind and usually implies relative narrowness.

a tall thin man

lofty suggests great or imposing altitude.

lofty mountain peaks

Examples of lofty in a Sentence

He set lofty goals for himself as a teacher. She showed a lofty disregard for their objections.
Recent Examples on the Web Off the entrance is seating in dusty rose and mustard yellow, as well as a lofty view of the handsome green-tiled bar. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 While many of them respect Huffman and love Reddit, these sources question the company’s capacity to satisfy the lofty expectations for sales and user growth that Wall Street has imposed on recent tech IPOs. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 The vision that Peterson and co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin kept referring to was as lofty as Mount Everest. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 And for the loftiest goal — a spot inside the top of the six spots in the West — the Lakers need to win. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 This might sound like a lofty goal, but both academic researchers and family advocates offered up some practical strategies to decrease crime and improve opportunity. Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2024 After a lackluster regular season by his lofty standards, Kelce went off in the Chiefs' 17-10 win over Baltimore on Sunday, finishing with 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Tom Schad, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Unlike Nvidia, some companies won’t be able to live up to the lofty expectations the market sets. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024 But the loftiest expectations, from the start, came from former world-class players Charlie Pasarell and Raymond Moore. Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lofty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of lofty was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near lofty

Cite this Entry

“Lofty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lofty. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lofty

adjective
loftier; loftiest
1
: proud sense 1a, haughty
a lofty manner
2
a
: of high, noble, or excellent quality
lofty ideals
b
: of high rank : superior
3
: rising to a great height
lofty redwood trees
loftily adverb
loftiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lofty

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