High-flown

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  High-flown \High"-flown`\, a.
     1. Elevated; proud. "High-flown hopes." --Denham.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Turgid; extravagant; bombastic; inflated; as, high-flown
        language. --M. Arnold.


        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  high-flown
       adj 1: pretentious (especially with regard to language or ideals);
              "high-flown talk of preserving the moral tone of the
              school"; "a high-sounding dissertation on the means to
              attain social revolution" [syn: {high-sounding}, {inflated}]
       2: of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or
          style; "an exalted ideal"; "argue in terms of high-flown
          ideals"- Oliver Franks; "a noble and lofty concept" [syn:
          {exalted}, {high-minded}, {lofty}, {rarefied}, {rarified},
           {idealistic}, {noble-minded}]