• High-flown

    Full definition of high-flown

    Adjective

    high-flown

    1. pretentiously eloquent; highly figurative
      • Red River Settlement is, to use a high-flown expression, an oasis in the desert, and may be likened to a spot upon the moon or a solitary ship upon the ocean. In plain English, it is an isolated settlement on the borders of one of the vast prairies of North America. — Robert Michael Ballantyne, "Hudson Bay", 1850
    2. lofty, extravagant, refined
      • It seems to me he makes troubles, by expecting every one else to be as quixotic as himself. He is not likely to find high-flown notions among ordinary business men! — Mrs George de Horne Vaizey, "A Houseful of Girls", 1905

    Synonyms

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