megalomaniac
Americannoun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of megalomaniac
Explanation
If you seriously think you’re the only person smart enough to solve the financial crisis, and you demand to be put in charge, people will think you’re a megalomaniac. A megalomaniac is a pathological egotist, that is, someone with a psychological disorder with symptoms like delusions of grandeur and an obsession with power. We also use the word megalomaniac more informally for people who behave as if they're convinced of their absolute power and greatness. Your garden-variety egomaniac might be self-centered and overconfident but he's a little softy compared with the megalomaniac who wants to control the world.
Vocabulary lists containing megalomaniac
It's Madness!: Mania
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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
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Turtles All the Way Down
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The Happy Dictator,” released as the lead single in September, parodies megalomaniac Saparmurat Niyazov’s approach to governing in Turkmenistan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
Numerous media stories have portrayed Mbappe as something close to a megalomaniac, accused of wielding influence over PSG's tactics and transfer decisions.
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
Where critics see an erratic megalomaniac, fans see a visionary working toward our long-term survival.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2023
He is an egomaniac, a fabulist, and a megalomaniac who believes that he has godlike powers.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2023
Talent contests and megalomaniac record producers have always paired ingenue wannabes with experienced songwriters, for instance, cashing in quickly on success before the public's appetite for novelty fades.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
