Basic Details
Word: Haughty
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Proud in an unpleasant way, behaving as if you are better than other people.
Synonyms: arrogant, proud, snobbish, conceited
Antonyms: humble, modest
How to Spell Haughty
Syllables: haugh - ty
Tricky part: The sound 'haw' is spelt augh, and the gh is silent. Students write hauty or horty because they cannot hear the gh.
Watch out for: hauty, haughtey, horty
Memory tip: Haughty is spelt exactly like naughty with h in place of n. A haughty child is often a naughty one too.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The haughty prince refused to eat with the common soldiers.
Example 2: Her haughty reply made everyone at the table go quiet.
Example 3: Winning three trophies did not make Kabir haughty; he still helped the juniors.
Fun Fact
Haughty comes from the old word haught, from French haut, meaning high; a haughty person holds their nose high.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word haughty as used in the sentence:
The haughty shopkeeper would not even look at customers who arrived on bicycles.
a) arrogant
b) cheerful
c) generous
d) humble
Show answer
a) arrogant. Someone haughty acts superior, and arrogant says the same; humble is the opposite.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The ythuhga queen ordered her servants to bow even lower.
a) haughty
b) doughty
c) naughty
d) hearty
Show answer
a) haughty. The jumble has two h's and no n, d or e, which leaves only haughty.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. courteous 2. hauty 3. generous 4. modest
a) proud and acting superior to others
b) not boasting about yourself
c) polite and respectful
d) happy to give and share
Show answer
a) proud and acting superior to others. Hauty is missing the silent gh of haughty.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which remark sounds haughty?
a) I don't talk to people from small schools.
b) Well played, that was a great match.
c) Sorry, I made a mistake there.
d) Can I help you carry that bag?
Show answer
a) I don't talk to people from small schools.
2. A haughty guest at a wedding is most likely to ____.
a) dance with the children
b) thank the cook for the meal
c) look down on the other guests
d) help the hosts serve food
Show answer
c) look down on the other guests
