grandiose
Americanadjective
-
affectedly grand or important; pompous.
grandiose words.
- Synonyms:
- extravagant, high-flown, splashy, flamboyant, affected, pretentious
-
more complicated or elaborate than necessary; overblown.
a grandiose scheme.
-
grand in an imposing or impressive way.
-
Psychiatry. having an exaggerated belief in one's importance, sometimes reaching delusional proportions, and occurring as a common symptom of mental illnesses, as manic disorder.
adjective
-
pretentiously grand or stately
-
imposing in conception or execution
Related Words
Grandiose, showy, ostentatious, pretentious all refer to conspicuous outward display, either designed to attract attention or likely to do so. Grandiose and showy are alike in that they may suggest impressiveness that is not objectionable: the grandiose sweep of the arch; a fresh bouquet of showy zinnias. Grandiose, however, most often implies inflation or exaggeration to the point of absurdity: grandiose, impractical plans; a ridiculously grandiose manner. Showy sometimes suggests a meretricious gaudiness or flashiness: a showy taste in dress. Ostentatious, which refers to behavior or manner clearly designed to impress, also has negative connotations: an ostentatious display of wealth; an assumption of superiority too ostentatious to be ignored. Pretentious, like the preceding term, is always derogatory, implying falseness or exaggeration in claims made or implied: natural and straightforward, not pretentious; pretentious language designed to mask the absence of real content.
Other Word Forms
- grandiosely adverb
- grandioseness noun
- grandiosity noun
Etymology
Origin of grandiose
First recorded in 1830–40; from French, from Italian grandioso, from Latin grandi(s) “grand” + -ōsus adjective suffix ( -ose 1 )
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.
It’s all gotten too ego-driven, too strangely dependent on the magic of personality, too vainglorious and, yes, grandiose.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
"The grandiose promises of destroying Hezbollah and Hamas and Iran are not coming true," said Dahlia Scheindlin, a Policy Fellow at the Mitvim Institute, a think tank focused on Israeli foreign policy.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
One almost gets a sense that the great doers of history were like robots, temporarily inhabited by an otherworldly spiritual force or, alternatively, were stick figures that Hegel moved about on his grandiose world-historical tableau.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026
This kind of content is what Donaldson has become known for: convoluted challenges and grandiose philanthropic efforts.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
“The oaken staff,” Lydia said in a grandiose, medieval voice.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
