grandiose

[gran-dee-ohs, gran-dee-ohs]

adjective

1. affectedly grand or important; pompous.

   grandiose words.

   Synonyms: extravagant, high-flown, splashy, flamboyant, affected, pretentious

2. more complicated or elaborate than necessary; overblown.

   a grandiose scheme.

3. grand in an imposing or impressive way.

4. 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.

grandiose

/ ˌɡrændɪˈɒsɪtɪ, ˈɡrændɪˌəʊs /

adjective

1. pretentiously grand or stately

2. imposing in conception or execution

Other Word Forms

• grandiosely adverb
• grandioseness noun
• grandiosity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grandiose¹

First recorded in 1830–40; from French, from Italian grandioso, from Latin grandi(s) “grand” + -ōsus adjective suffix ( -ose ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of grandiose¹

C19: from French, from Italian grandioso, from grande great; see _grand

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

“What we’re seeing with this phenomenon is that people with either conspiratorial or grandiose delusional thinking get reinforced.”

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Any joy she had once taken in dancing had left her, as had her grandiose dreams of being, at twelve years old, the youngest prima ballerina in the history of ballet.

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He found himself in a grandiose lobby with white marble floors, ceilings almost two stories high, and pendant lights hanging from the ceiling.

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He created a grandiose memo to lure people not related to him by blood.

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Even by the grandiose standards of bar talk, it was a provocative statement.

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Related Words

• ambitious 
• bombastic 
• flamboyant 
• grand 
• imposing 
• lofty 
• magnificent 
• monumental 
• noble 
• pompous 
• pretentious 
• showy 
• splashy