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English
Adjective
high-flown (comparative more high-flown, superlative most high-flown)
- pretentiously eloquent; highly figurative
1850, R.M. Ballantyne, Hudson Bay: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.
- lofty, extravagant, refined
1905, Mrs George de Horne Vaizey, A Houseful of Girls: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!
Synonyms
Translations
pretentiously eloquent; highly figurative