hifalutin
Definition
- Adjective:
- Affectedly genteel; pretentious or pompous in style or manner: Used to describe language, behavior, or style that is overly elaborate, showy, or intended to sound impressive but often comes across as artificial or self-important.
Usage
- The word "hifalutin" is typically used in a critical or humorous way to describe something that is unnecessarily fancy or pretentious. It often implies that the speaker or writer is trying too hard to appear sophisticated or important. It is more common in informal or spoken English.
Examples
- Adjective:
- He dismissed the proposal as just a lot of hifalutin nonsense.
- I prefer simple, clear instructions, not all this hifalutin jargon.
- Her hifalutin way of speaking made it hard for people to relate to her.
Advanced Usage
- "Hifalutin" can sometimes be used as a noun in informal contexts, though this is less common.
- I'm tired of all the hifalutin in his speeches; I just want the facts.
Variants and Related Words
- Highfalutin: This is an equally common alternate spelling of the word. The meaning is identical.
- He wrote a highfalutin essay that was difficult to understand.
- Highfaluting: A less common variant spelling.
Synonyms
- Pretentious: Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed.
- Pompous: Affectedly and irritatingly grand, solemn, or self-important.
- Grandiose: Impressive or magnificent in appearance or style, especially pretentiously so.
- Bombastic: High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated.
- High-sounding: Impressive in sound but often not in substance.
Antonyms
- Plain: Not decorated or elaborate; simple or ordinary.
- Unpretentious: Not attempting to impress others with an appearance of greater importance, talent, or culture than is actually possessed.
- Modest: Unassuming in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements.
- Down-to-earth: Practical and realistic.
Idioms and Related Phrases
- Put on airs: To behave in a way that is intended to impress others by appearing more sophisticated or important than one actually is. This idiom is closely related in meaning to "hifalutin."
- Ever since she got that promotion, she's been putting on airs with all her hifalutin talk.
Adjective
-
affectedly genteel
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