Munchausen
Britishnoun
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an exaggerated story
-
a person who tells such a story
Etymology
Origin of Munchausen
C19: after Baron Münchhausen, subject of a series of exaggerated adventure tales written in English by R. E. Raspe (1737–94)
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.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s attorney said the mother had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
Hospital staff suspected that her mother was exaggerating the symptoms and demanding high doses of ketamine and sedatives as part of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, according to the Daily Mail.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
At the hospital, Maya was evaluated by a child-welfare agency pediatrician who specialized in detecting child abuse and who initially diagnosed Munchausen Syndrome by proxy.
From New York Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
Their psychological issues included "post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and Munchausen syndrome by proxy."
From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2021
A great number of German Protestants from the Palatinate attended the Baron Munchausen, Chief Secretary for Hanover, with a petition soliciting a passage to Nova Scotia.
From History of Halifax City by Thomas B. Akins
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.
