# hoity-toity

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhɔɪtiˈtɔɪti/

## Definitions
1. Behaviour adopted to demonstrate one's superiority; pretentious or snobbish behaviour; airs and graces.
2. Flighty, giddy, or silly behaviour; also, noisy merriment.
3. A young woman regarded as flighty, giddy, or silly.

## Etymology
Probably from hoit (“to behave frivolously and thoughtlessly; to play the fool”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’), reduplicated with a change of the initial consonant. The noun is attested earlier than the adjective.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hoity-toity