Lofty
adj.hopeful, thoughtfulliterary
What it means
Noble or impressively ambitious in purpose and ideals.
Reach for it when describing an elevated aim while leaving room to test its practicality
Their lofty promise of universal access was matched by a funded schedule.
Choose between these
7- playful
scale and impressiveness matter in a less formal voice
not when Grand may praise appearance without moral substance.
- professional
difficulty and scale matter more than moral elevation
not when Ambitious can be self-serving or unrealistic.
- professional
aspirational
the statement sets a desired future standard
not when Aspirational clearly admits the standard has not yet been reached.
- professional
high principles guide the vision
not when Idealistic may imply distance from practical constraints.
- formal
ethical seriousness is being praised
not when High-minded can sound self-righteous or detached.
- formal
moral worth is the central praise
not when Noble can describe character and does not imply ambitious scale.
- literary
refined purpose or style fits formal prose
not when Elevated can sound abstract and may concern rank or height.
Said against
3- base
- petty
- ignoble
It naturally appears in
3- lofty goal
A lofty goal needs milestones that expose weak assumptions.
- lofty ideal
Equal treatment remained a lofty ideal worth making concrete.
- lofty ambition
Their lofty ambition survived the first difficult budget review.
Where this comes from
- merriam-webster, adjective sense 2 opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.