grandiosity

American  

[gran-dee-os-i-tee] / ˌgræn diˈɒs ɪ ti /

noun

1. the quality of seeming impressive or important in an artificial or deliberately pompous way; pretentiousness.

   These are mere bogus revolutionaries, high on the sound of their own voices and the silly grandiosity of their claims.

2. the quality of actually being imposing or impressive.

   Through the photographer's eyes these sprawling, well-known cities become worlds of extreme beauty, elegance, and grandiosity.

3. the quality of being more complicated or elaborate than necessary.

   Hockey’s a great sport: gentlemanly and understated, with no fuss or grandiosity.

4. Psychiatry. an exaggerated belief in one’s own importance, sometimes reaching delusional proportions, as a symptom of a mental illness such as manic disorder.

   Paranoiacs tend to carry a bit of guilt with their grandiosity—a sense of some great transgression that has made them a magnet for universal hostility.

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Etymology

Origin of grandiosity

First recorded in 1795–1805; from French grandiosité, from Italian grandiosità, equivalent to grandiose ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

Explanation

Grandiosity is a characteristic of being so ambitious or extravagant that you seem pretentious. The grandiosity of that new house down the street, with all of its turrets and columns, is a little ridiculous. Someone's grandiosity might come across in the way they brag about their amazing achievements, blowing them up to be even bigger — or more grand — than they actually are. Or you might betray your grandiosity by making outlandish plans that don't seem quite realistic: "Later, I realized the grandiosity of my idea to start a cookie business that would make a million dollars in the first six months." The Latin root is grandis, "big."

Example Sentences

In some ways the films seem to invite accusations of pretension, of reach exceeding grasp and grandeur stretched into grandiosity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

She tests everyone’s limits, but her grandiosity is something to see.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

Psychiatry’s diagnostic manual, the DSM-5, outlines nine behavioral patterns involving grandiosity, empathy, and a person’s need for admiration, of which a patient must meet at least five for a formal diagnosis of NPD.

From Slate • Aug. 5, 2024

Directed by Lance Oppenheim and produced by Benny and Josh Safdie among others, “Ren Faire” depicts and embodies a Möbius strip of truth and grandiosity.

From New York Times • May 30, 2024

The need for isolation, the grandiosity of the confabulations, the disorientation and confusion—these were all eerily reminiscent of his uncle’s descent.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• grandeur
• magnificence