High Flown

B2 16+

Pronunciation: /haɪ floʊn/

Definitions of high flown

adjective exaggerated or pretentious in style or language

Example Sentences

A1 The story was too high flown for the children to understand.

A2 The speech was filled with high flown language that went over the audience's heads.

B1 The novel's high flown prose made it difficult for some readers to connect with the characters.

B2 The politician's high flown promises were met with skepticism by the public.

C1 The artist's high flown ideas challenged traditional notions of beauty and art.

C2 The philosopher's high flown theories on morality and ethics were debated by scholars for years.

Examples of high flown in a Sentence

formal The speaker's high flown rhetoric impressed the audience at the academic conference.

informal I couldn't understand all the high flown language in that book.

slang His high flown ideas are way too out there for me.

figurative Her dreams were always high flown, reaching for the stars.

Grammatical Forms of high flown

past tense

high flew

plural

high flown

comparative

higher flown

superlative

highest flown

present tense

fly high

future tense

will fly high

perfect tense

have flown high

continuous tense

is flying high

singular

high flown

positive degree

high flown

infinitive

to fly high

gerund

flying high

participle

flown high

Origin and Evolution of high flown

First Known Use: 1500 year
Language of Origin: Middle English
Story behind the word: The term 'high flown' originated in Middle English as a translation of the Latin phrase 'altus volatus' which means lofty or elevated in flight.
Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe things that were lofty or grandiose in nature, the term 'high flown' has evolved to also connote something that is excessively extravagant or pretentious.