Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Pretentiously self-important; pompous.
  • adjective Given to frivolity or silliness.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • An exclamation denoting surprise or disapprobation, with some degree of contempt: equivalent to pshaw.
  • Elated; giddy; flighty; petulant; huffy: as, he is in hoity-toity spirits.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Thoughtless; giddy; flighty; also, haughty; patronizing; ; used also as an exclamation, denoting surprise or disapprobation, with some degree of contempt.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Pompous, self-important and snobbish.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective affectedly genteel

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From reduplication of dialectal hoit, to romp; perhaps akin to hoyden.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the archaic verb hoit ("to play the fool; to behave thoughtlessly and frivolously")

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Examples

  • He's a troubled kid at a fancy, hoity-toity high school, says Mitchell.

    Exclusive First Look: Grimm Takes on the Pied Piper -- Rats! 2011

  • ADAM: Methinks we're going to meet lots of parents, including the hoity-toity British mother and father of Walden's new girlfriend.

    Mega Buzz: New Loves on Big Bang Theory, House and Lots of Grey's Anatomy Tears 2011

  • The rhetoric of prejudicial disdain is meted out, on the one hand against the “hoity-toity”, and on the other against the “hoi poloi” -- against the “snob” with complex tastes and the “pleb” with simple tastes.

    Archive 2009-06-01 Hal Duncan 2009

  • There are hoity-toity rich people just around the corner.

    Uprising Margaret Peterson Haddix 2011

  • There are hoity-toity rich people just around the corner.

    Uprising Margaret Peterson Haddix 2011

  • The rhetoric of prejudicial disdain is meted out, on the one hand against the “hoity-toity”, and on the other against the “hoi poloi” -- against the “snob” with complex tastes and the “pleb” with simple tastes.

    There's No Prescribing Prescriptivism Hal Duncan 2009

  • It has allowed Mrs. Palin to dismiss any criticism of her—no matter how straightforward—as yet more hostility from opponents, or as hoity-toity blather from inside-the-Beltway mopes.

    The Problems With Palin Kimberley A. Strassel 2011

  • The Dursley friends recieved the packet you sent by Parcel, and are all hoity-toity, and so could I, was I going to ride home with them.

    Letter 270 2009

  • These/You people (lawyers) are an elitist, hoity-toity club.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Miguel Estrada Writes in Support of Elena Kagan’s Confirmation 2010

  • There are hoity-toity rich people just around the corner.

    Uprising Margaret Peterson Haddix 2011

Comments

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  • 1. Pretentiously self-important; pompous.

    2. Given to frivolity or silliness.

    May 15, 2008

  • "A hoity-toity wench: a giddy, thoughtless, romping girl."

    - Francis Grose, 'The Vulgar Tongue'.

    September 8, 2008

  • An invective against a 'proud puss' (e.g. "Hoity-toity, Miss Starr!" -L.M. Montgomery, 'Emily of New Moon')

    April 10, 2009

  • Ooh! *Plans to try it out on Boris at the first available opportunity*

    April 10, 2009