megalomania
Americannoun
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Psychiatry. a symptom of mental illness marked by delusions of greatness, wealth, etc.
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an obsession with doing extravagant or grand things.
noun
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a mental illness characterized by delusions of grandeur, power, wealth, etc
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informal a lust or craving for power
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of megalomania
Explanation
Megalomania is a crazy hunger for power and wealth, and a passion for grand schemes. Comic book villains often suffer from megalomania. Their plans are thwarted only by superheroes. Megalomania comes from the Greek megas ("great") and mania ("madness"). It is a madness of greatness, but not a great kind of madness! Megalomaniacs in history include Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon Bonaparte. People with megalomania tend to exaggerate their virtues and never see their faults.
Vocabulary lists containing megalomania
Ender's Game
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It's Madness!: Mania
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 36
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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.
Over six months, the New Times published 21 articles with headlines like “Rusesabagina’s Megalomania Has No Limit.”
From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2020
In June, he appeared in Kassel - where his trial is now taking place - at an event called "Megalomania in the Art World".
From BBC • Jul. 19, 2013
Megalomania, meg-a-lō-mā′ni-a, n. the delusion that one is great or powerful.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
They brand our gifts with fancy scientific names, such as Megalomania, Paranoia, Folie des grandeurs.
From Visionaries by Huneker, James
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.
