SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
lofty
adjective
Very high or elevated; figuratively, ambitious, noble, or expressed with superiority.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Very high
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Related words and expressions
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Usage distinction
Return to topLofty can describe physical height, often with an impression of grandeur.
Elevated in ambition or character
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Usage distinction
Return to topLofty ideals can be admirable; high-flown can criticize language or ambitions as inflated.
Superior in manner
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Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topLofty in this critical sense describes a manner of assumed superiority. It differs from noble ideals or physical height; aloof chiefly describes emotional distance.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See lofty in use
The project's lofty ambition needed a realistic plan for completion.
The curator's lofty aim is to help every visitor imagine the city as a shared place rather than a collection of unrelated streets.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license