high noon
noun
Simple meaning
A time, set out in advance.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hynoonSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhaɪˈnun
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
idiomatic
A time, set out in advance, at which an important decision is to be made or a nemesis is to be confronted.
idiomaticfiguratively
The zenith or apex of one's life or of a certain activity or era.
idiomatic
Exactly noon; midday (when the sun is at its highest).
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A time, set out in advance, at which an important decision is to be made or a nemesis is to be confronted.
Used this way, high noon is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It suits considered writing and prepared speech.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “high noon” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.