LORDLY Synonyms: 214 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'lordly' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lordly are arrogant , disdainful , haughty , insolent , overbearing , proud , and supercilious . While all these words mean "showing scorn for inferiors," lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power. // a lordly condescension

Q: When is 'arrogant' a more appropriate choice than 'lordly'?

The synonyms arrogant and lordly are sometimes interchangeable, but arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted. // a conceited and arrogant executive

Q: When could 'disdainful' be used to replace 'lordly'?

The words disdainful and lordly can be used in similar contexts, but disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness. // disdainful of their social inferiors

Q: In what contexts can 'haughty' take the place of 'lordly'?

While in some cases nearly identical to lordly , haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position. // a haughty aristocrat

Q: When can 'insolent' be used instead of 'lordly'?

In some situations, the words insolent and lordly are roughly equivalent. However, insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness. // ignored by an insolent waiter

Q: When might 'overbearing' be a better fit than 'lordly'?

While the synonyms overbearing and lordly are close in meaning, overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence. // an overbearing supervisor

Q: Where would 'proud' be a reasonable alternative to 'lordly'?

The meanings of proud and lordly largely overlap; however, proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness. // too proud to take charity

Q: When would 'supercilious' be a good substitute for 'lordly'?

The words supercilious and lordly are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness. // an aloof and supercilious manner

lordly

adjective

ˈlȯrd-lē

Definition of lordly

as in arrogant

having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude one dinner guest was a little lordly about her status as a vegetarian, even asking the other diners how they could bear to eat dead animals

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in proud

having or displaying feelings of scorn for what is regarded as beneath oneself his lordly attitude toward people who enjoy popular music

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in noble

having, characterized by, or arising from a dignified and generous nature born to great wealth, he has always displayed a lordly generosity toward the less fortunate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective lordly differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lordly are arrogant, disdainful, haughty, insolent, overbearing, proud, and supercilious. While all these words mean "showing scorn for inferiors," lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

When is arrogant a more appropriate choice than lordly?

The synonyms arrogant and lordly are sometimes interchangeable, but arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

When could disdainful be used to replace lordly?

The words disdainful and lordly can be used in similar contexts, but disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

In what contexts can haughty take the place of lordly?

While in some cases nearly identical to lordly, haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

When can insolent be used instead of lordly?

In some situations, the words insolent and lordly are roughly equivalent. However, insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

When might overbearing be a better fit than lordly?

While the synonyms overbearing and lordly are close in meaning, overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

Where would proud be a reasonable alternative to lordly?

The meanings of proud and lordly largely overlap; however, proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

When would supercilious be a good substitute for lordly?

The words supercilious and lordly are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of lordly But the cruelty and callousness of the lordly class infuses it all. — Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2024 The surge ended in the World Series, the lordly Yankees winning in six games, but Mays was on his way and Durocher gave him full credit. — Mike Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2024 The portrait of Markram that ultimately emerges is of a lordly sovereign stalking the halls of an island mansion, an autumn of the scientific patriarch. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2022 What comes next is a showdown between her force and his financial clout, between labor and the lordly class. — Amy Nicholson, Variety, 11 Sep. 2022 From 1958 to 1961, sulking Giants and Dodgers fans had to put up with the lordly Yankees winning three pennants and two World Series. — New York Times, 23 Mar. 2022 The lordly African lion in his zoo grotto will cast a sentimental glance at his shaggy mate. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2022

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lordly

Adjective

Elon Musk — Ike Barinholtz has Musk wandering in from another movie, or dimension, a ramble-y, arrogant but ultimately comically non-threatening figure.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
The loud-mouthed cameos from ex-soccer players Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eric Cantona in Nike’s World Cup hero film Rip the Script were indicative of this, chiming with an older, more arrogant vision of Nike seen in the ’90s and the aughts.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

Aduba will play Allegra Miller, a proud New Yorker fighting developers to keep her home and change her life forever.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Docking the Akira One for the last time, Nathan feels proud that his team kept it together despite being on the edge of collapse literally the entire time.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of proud

Adjective

Meanwhile, America is now in the war, and veteran Adam is seemingly the only person in Salinas who realizes that this isn’t necessarily a noble thing.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
The job called for an officer with enough status to deal with admirals, generals, and prime ministers with noble titles.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of noble

Adjective

Hermetically sealed tableaux of haughty models daring you to look away from their perfection.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
All of those have sometimes been used to paint Rodgers in a certain way – usually as aloof or haughty in articles that typically were unflattering.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of haughty

Adjective

Korean star Han Ji-min accepted The Hollywood Reporter’s Trailblazer Award at a glitzy gala high above Busan on Wednesday night, promising that her creative journey was only just beginning.

— Mathew Scott, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
That is a level higher than on other subjects such as fertility, at 54 percent, and menopause, at 48 percent.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of high

Adjective

What makes this emptiness more bothersome is the cavalier way Wingard wields the imagery of rogue, militarized killers wreaking havoc on the American landscape.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Perhaps most viscerally, given the ever-present specter of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War, Capps was appalled by Falwell’s apocalyptic rhetoric and cavalier posture toward global destruction.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of cavalier

Adjective

The rich collections do a great job of honoring visual traditions and explaining their connections to real people and real places.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
Despite deep-rooted tensions between southerners and the PLC, both are in agreement that the Houthi threat is far greater than that of the other.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of great

Adjective

Read More $199 at Amazon The AirPods Pro 3 have a new design that improves their fit, superior noise cancellation, better bass, and fairly accurate heart rate sensors.

— Cameron Faulkner, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Bailey Andersen was a high school basketball player who remembers a 6-foot biological male out-jumping her 6-foot-3 teammate on the opening tip due to his superior athleticism.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of superior

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“Lordly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lordly. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of lordly

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