1.
high-handed; domineering; overbearing
Behaving in an arrogant, bossy manner, often pressuring others from a position of perceived superiority. Always carries a negative connotation.
あの店員は高飛車な態度だ。
That shop clerk has a high-handed attitude.
高飛車に命令されると、やる気がなくなる。
When someone bosses me around in a domineering way, I lose motivation.
彼女は初対面の人にも高飛車な物言いをするので、嫌われやすい。
She tends to speak in a domineering way even to people she's meeting for the first time, so she's easily disliked.
Originally a shogi (Japanese chess) term referring to positioning the rook aggressively high on the board. The word came to describe someone who takes an overbearing, aggressive stance in dealings with others.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 高飛車な態度 (a domineering attitude)
- 高飛車な物言い (high-handed way of speaking)
- 高飛車に出る (to act in a domineering manner)
USAGE NOTE:
Always negative. Describes someone who is condescending and pushes others around, regardless of whether their position actually warrants authority.