hauteur

/hɔˈtʌr/

Other forms: hauteurs

Hauteur is an obnoxious display of overbearing pride and superiority over others. Rather than showing humility and respect, a bad king might act with hauteur toward his subjects.

The noun hauteur stems from the Old English word haute, meaning "high in one's own estimation." Because it often develops as a result of power over others (or perceived power), it's often associated with royalty or politically powerful figures who throughout history have become vain and arrogant because of their position: A high-powered CEO might show hauteur toward the newly hired assistant; a professional athlete's hauteur may result from the media spotlight and multi-million-dollar contracts.

Definitions of hauteur

1. noun

   overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors
   synonyms: arrogance, haughtiness, high-handedness, lordliness

   types:

   condescension, disdainfulness, superciliousness

   the trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior

   contemptuousness

   the manifestation of scorn and contempt

   hubris

   overbearing pride or presumption

   domineeringness, imperiousness, overbearingness

   the trait of being imperious and overbearing

   superiority

   displaying a sense of being better than others

   snobbery, snobbishness, snobbism

   the trait of condescending to those of lower social status

   clannishness, cliquishness, exclusiveness, exclusivity

   tendency to associate with only a select group

   type of:

   pride, superbia

   unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem (personified as one of the deadly sins)