Do these people annoy you?

A word I came across recently that isn't used all that much in regular discourse is hoity-toity. It's yet another one of those funny-sounding words that I like to feature on the blog.

To be hoity-toity is to be haughty or snobbish. You can use it in place of words like disdainful, conceited, proud, arrogant, pretentious, and self-important.

Interestingly, while we use use hoity-toity as an adjective today, it used to be a noun that meant "thoughtless giddy behavior." The word first appeared in print as a noun in 1668.

All of us know at least one person -- be it a friend, co-worker, relative, or neighbor -- who projects this type of demeanor.

I generally steer clear of hoity-toity people. I think humility is one of the most admirable qualities one can possess, and, well, hoity-toity folks seem devoid of it.

While we can all be a little hoity-toity in certain instances -- say, showing off our new car or watch -- some people are this way nearly all the time. It's firmly embedded in their character.

My hope is that they're conscious of this foible and make some effort to swallow their pride every now and then. An "I'm better than you" attitude only becomes more unseemly over time.

Had you ever heard or used the word before reading this post? How many hoity-toity folks do you know?

Comments

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