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High-sounding words sound grand and important — big moral claims, fancy principles — but the speaker may not mean them, or the words may be empty.
High-sounding words高調的字詞（high-sounding的字） sound grand and important聽起來很偉大、很重要 — big moral claims, fancy principles像是很大的道德主張、華麗的原則 — but the speaker may not mean them但說話的人可能並不是真心的， or the words may be empty或者這些話其實是空的。
It is almost always a criticism, and you will meet it more in writing and news comments than in casual talk.
It is almost always a criticism這幾乎都是一種批評， and you will meet it more in writing and news comments你在文章和新聞評論裡會更常遇到它 than in casual talk而不是在平常聊天的時候。
Sounding here is about how the language comes across, like it “sounds high,” meaning noble or lofty. It is not about a musical pitch, and a high-sounding speech is not a high-pitched one. We use it of statements, titles, and promises, not of a person's actual voice.
Sounding here這裡的sounding is about how the language comes across講的是這些話給人的感覺， like it "sounds high,"就像「聽起來很高」 meaning noble or lofty意思是高尚、崇高。It is not about a musical pitch這跟音樂的音高沒有關係， and a high-sounding speech is not a high-pitched one而一段high-sounding的演講，不是指音調很高的演講。We use it of statements, titles, and promises我們會用它來形容說法、頭銜、承諾， not of a person's actual voice而不是形容一個人真正的嗓音。
People also say lofty or grand.
People also say人們也會說 lofty or grand lofty或grand。
Though actually the tidy idea “impressive but ” is the usual punch: sometimes the words are sincere and still up.
Though actually不過事實上 the tidy idea "impressive but insincere"「聽起來厲害，但不是真心的」這個簡單的說法 is the usual punch是一般常見的重點：sometimes the words are sincere and still puffed up有時候這些話是真心的，卻還是講得太浮誇。
組成high + sounding. High = lofty, grand. Sounding = how the words come across when you hear them.
同家族的字
- soundhow words come across — not musical pitch in this compound
原始詞典資料2 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
high-soundingadj
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Having an elevated or moralistic tone; pompous.
- The glittering crowd, whose high-sounding names ever and anon reached her ear—the magnificent room—the splendour of the dresses—the diamonds shining amid the elaborately curled tresses she had been accustomed to see in their native darkness, their summer ornament the half-blown rose, and their winter-wreath the myrtle-branch—all oppressed her with the sense of change.
- The fourth picture represents a trip over the New York, Ontario and Western Railway—one of the many relatively small independent lines which still operates in the United States, with a typically high-sounding title, for the system concerned, though it taps Lake Ontario, does not touch New York (though it lies partly in New York State), and is confined entirely to the Eastern States.
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Oratorial, sometimes to the point of sounding contrived.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。