Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
High-flown
High′-flownˊ
,Adj.
1.
Elevated; proud.
“High-flown hopes.” Denham.
2.
Turgid; extravagant; bombastic; inflated;
as,
. high-flown
languageM. Arnold.
Webster 1828 Edition
High-flown
HIGH-FLOWN
,Adj.
1.
Turgid; swelled; extravagant; as a high-flown hyperbole.Definition 2024
high-flown
high-flown
English
Adjective
high-flown (comparative more high-flown, superlative most high-flown)
- 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. — R.M. Ballantyne, "Hudson Bay", 1850
- 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
- (eloquent) bombastic
- (lofty) high-minded