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high and mighty
1noun
persons who are members of or identify with the higher social strata of society, especially those who are powerful or arrogant.
adverb
in a self-important, grandiose, or arrogant manner.
They talk high and mighty, but they owe everyone in town.
Now don't go getting all high and mighty on me.
high-and-mighty
2[hahy-uhn-mahy-tee, -uhnd-]
adjective
haughty; arrogant.
Other 51Թ Forms
- high-and-mightiness noun
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of high and mighty1
Idioms and Phrases
Example Sentences
When the high and mighty of Silicon Valley assumed their privileged perch at the swearing-in of President Trump, it was an ostentatious show of wealth and power unlike any before.
Yes, the English, and very high and mighty.
“And people are welcome to label things however they want, but there’s frankly nobody else doing the reporting that we do. ... That’s what ten million people are subscribing to The New York Times for … And not to like sound too high and mighty, but the market has spoken, and they like what we’re doing.”
But many of the videos are released by police and feature people who have come under far more pressure than the high and mighty of Russia's pop scene.
In his 2002 book High and Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV, Keith Bradsher wrote that “AMC promoted the Jeep’s four-wheel drive even though its engineers and executives knew that it had little value for urban buyers.”
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When To Use
High and mighty is often used as an adverb meaning in an arrogant or self-important manner, as in Please stop acting so high and mighty—you’re not the boss here.The word mighty means strong, powerful, or of great importance.When someone acts as if they are superior or in charge, they can be said to be acting high and mighty. This is especially the case when they’re not actually superior or in charge.High and mighty can also be used as an adjective, in which case it’s often hyphenated (high-and-mighty), as in Take your high-and-mighty attitude elsewhere—we work as a team here.The phrase can also be used as a collective noun to refer to people who are considered powerful, as in The high and mighty take too much and give too little. The word mighty can be used in the same way, as in The rich and mighty hold all the power.Example: Don’t get all high and mighty with me—I’m the one who trained you.
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