1
as in rhetoric
full of fine words and fancy expressions
gave a high-flown reply instead of a simple "yes" or "no" answer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in eloquent
very dignified in form, tone, or style
high-flown speeches about the nobleness of their cause
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of high-flown
Order this: If all this is too high-flown for you, call for The Hook Up, your basic red sauce-sausage-pepperoni deal.
—
Lawrence Specker | [email protected], al, 14 June 2023
Lawrence Specker | [email protected], al, 14 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-flown
Adjective
-
Paper Doll is eloquent and occasionally wrenching about the desire to get out — out of toxic situations, out of the view of paparazzi, and out of one’s own head.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
26 Feb. 2025
-
In voice-over narration, Angela communicated directly to the audience and shared her innermost thoughts — sometimes eloquent, sometimes inane but always authentic to the volatile experience of being a teenager.—
Meredith Blake,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The rhetorical strategy was part of Macron’s effort to keep the unsteady peace talks moving forward.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
25 Feb. 2025
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Last spring, the Kremlin added a new rhetorical weapon to its regular barrages against President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.—
Paul Sonne,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Yoon's lawyers have accused the investigative agency that detained him before his formal arrest of lacking legal authority to probe rebellion charges.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
9 Mar. 2025
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As a formal statement of disapproval, censure is about the worst punishment for a misbehaving House member short of removing them from office.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The matriarch of the Dutton family, who writes letters to Spencer like diary entries, is the majestic Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton with a gruff Harrison Ford impeccably playing her loving husband, Jacob Dutton.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
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The setup was a never-ending path of majestic olive trees, their branches forming a natural canopy with a single long, rectangular dining table, dressed with simple yet elegant décor.—
Alexandra Macon,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Les Cahiers Secrets Eau de Parfum comes from the diaries of Anaïs Nin and her literary community in 1930s Paris.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The imprint of Indian art, architecture, and literary imagination shaped Southeast Asia.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“High-flown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-flown. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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