Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Intellectually, morally, or socially superior.
- adjective Fashionable or pretentious.
from The Century Dictionary.
- High in pitch: as, a high-toned instrument.
- Having high principles; dignified; self-respecting: as, a high-toned character.
- Stylish; fashionable; pretentious.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective High in tone or sound.
- adjective Elevated; high-principled; honorable.
- adjective pretentious, pompous.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Having a
pretentious ,high-class attitude
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective pretentiously elegant
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Peering through the windows at the spectacles hosted by white planters, enslaved blacks would then prance and preen in imitation of whites at their own dances, using exaggerated movements, curtsys and bows to and adopting “high-toned” clothing to mock.
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Peering through the windows at the spectacles hosted by white planters, enslaved blacks would then prance and preen in imitation of whites at their own dances, using exaggerated movements, curtsys and bows to and adopting “high-toned” clothing to [...]
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With Hazel an 'Hattie an' Saxon an 'Possum, an' yours truly, an 'this high-toned wagon, folks most likely take us for millionaires out on a lark.
CHAPTER XIV 2010
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The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the high-toned organization of scholars, artists, politicians and business leaders, broke with convention yesterday as it inducted Steve Miller, a rock musician credited with the creation of several words, as a member of the group.
Elite Arts Group Names Steve Miller 1st Rock Member Con Chapman 2011
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Rather stylish and high-toned for a stenographer, I'd say.
Chapter VI 2010
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To tie together a book that covers the colonial-era tavern, the frontier barrelhouse, the high-toned New York City saloon, the German beer-garden, the speakeasy, the cocktail lounge, the gay bar and even the contemporary neo-speakeasy, a writer needs a grand theme.
The All-American Place David Wondrich 2011
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It was no doubt a little more than unsettling when the Sofitel Hotel, located on that high-toned stretch, attracted an enormous amount of attention recently.
Shirin Sadeghi: Sex Scandal Is Peephole Into Manhattan Hotel Life Shirin Sadeghi 2011
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It was a very grave situation and we used to need to stroke our chins about whether bloggers or Paul Krugman were ruining the high-toned debate that had previously taken place between conservatives, right-wingers, the center-right, moderate Republicans, and reasonable liberals.
Matthew Yglesias » Conservatives’ Unhinged Attacks on Nancy Pelosi 2009
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It was no doubt a little more than unsettling when the Sofitel Hotel, located on that high-toned stretch, attracted an enormous amount of attention recently.
Shirin Sadeghi: Sex Scandal Is Peephole Into Manhattan Hotel Life Shirin Sadeghi 2011
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A pretty idea she must have of him, a girl that was too high-toned to have anything to do with a good-looking, gentlemanly fellow like Morrison.
Chapter VI 2010
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