high day: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low (archaic/literary)Literary, archaic, occasionally formal/religious
Quick answer
What does “high day” mean?
A day of special celebration, festivity, or religious observance.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A day of special celebration, festivity, or religious observance; a holiday.
A day of great importance, significance, or joy; a peak or special occasion. Can also refer to a day of high activity or business (archaic/commercial).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Slightly more recognized in British English due to historical/literary preservation, but equally archaic in both varieties. The phrase 'high days and holidays' is marginally more common in UK English.
Connotations
Both: archaic, formal, celebratory. UK: possibly stronger association with bank holidays and traditional festivals. US: may be perceived as more purely literary or biblical.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in contemporary corpora for both. Occurs mainly in religious texts, historical novels, or fixed phrases.
Grammar
How to Use “high day” in a Sentence
on a high dayhigh day and holidayfor high days and holidaysVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “high day” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- They wore their high-day best to the village fête.
American English
- She saved the china for high-day meals.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually unused. Historically could refer to a day of high market activity.
Academic
Used in historical, religious, or literary studies when discussing festivals or calendars.
Everyday
Rare. Might be used humorously or in fixed phrases ('only on high days and holidays').
Technical
Not used in technical contexts.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “high day”
Strong
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “high day”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “high day”
- Using 'high day' to mean a sunny day or a day with high temperature.
- Using it in modern, casual contexts where 'holiday' or 'special day' would be appropriate.
- Incorrectly pluralizing as 'highs day'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is considered archaic or literary. The fixed phrase 'high days and holidays' is more likely to be encountered, but even that is not common in everyday speech.
Historically, a 'high day' often had a stronger religious or ceremonial connotation (e.g., a saint's day), while 'holiday' derives from 'holy day' but has broadened to mean any day of leisure or celebration. In modern use, 'holiday' is the standard term.
Yes, in a hyphenated form ('high-day') it can function attributively, as in 'high-day clothes', meaning clothes for special occasions. This usage is also archaic.
It originates from Old English, where 'high' denoted importance or solemnity. It is used in the King James Bible (e.g., John 19:31) and other early religious texts to denote major feast days.
A day of special celebration, festivity, or religious observance.
High day is usually literary, archaic, occasionally formal/religious in register.
High day: in British English it is pronounced /ˈhaɪ deɪ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈhaɪ deɪ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “high days and holidays”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'high' day as a day lifted up above all others for celebration, like a holiday on a pedestal.
Conceptual Metaphor
IMPORTANCE IS HEIGHT / A SPECIAL DAY IS AN ELEVATED DAY
Practice
Quiz
In modern English, the phrase 'high day' is best described as: