from on high
Descended with authority
From on high means from a position of authority or elevated status, often with connotations of remoteness or condescension.
Originally literal—commands issued from a throne, a mountain, or heaven—the phrase now usually carries irony: Orders came down from on high, but nobody explained the reasoning.
It suggests decisions made by those disconnected from people affected by them.
- skyVisible overhead expanse
- proclamationFormal public announcement
- decreeAuthoritative legal command
- heavensCelestial expanse overhead
- divineOf or from gods
divine authority · burning bush · stone tablets · commandment · celestial · blessing · edict · omnipotent · exalted · prophecy · guidance · transcendent · sublime · inspiration · clouds · revelation · mandate · executive order
from on highfrom the ground up
Starting at the very beginning
grassroots · from below · bottom-up · democratic · populist
from, high, higher, highest, highly, height, heights, heighten, heightened