Describes a person, attitude, or artistic stance that is intellectually elevated, detached from worldly concerns, or disdainful of popular taste. Often used in literary or critical contexts.
His aloof attitude is sometimes misunderstood by those around him.
One can sense a transcendent aesthetic in this author's works.
Parnassians; transcendentalists
highbrow; transcendental; aloof from worldly affairs
transcendentalism (literary style); Parnassianism
Standard kanji form; no common kana-only variant.
Compound of 高 (high) and 踏 (step, tread), suggesting 'stepping high' or 'rising above'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is used in modern Japanese to describe an elevated, detached stance.