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megalomania

[meg-uh-loh-mey-nee-uh]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR megalomania ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Psychiatry. a symptom of mental illness marked by delusions of greatness, wealth, etc.
an obsession with doing extravagant or grand things.

RELATED WORDS

selfishness, narcissism, self-confidence, egotism, arrogance, self-possession, self-regard, egomania, presumption, self-love, boasting, overconfidence, vainglory, pride, gasconade, assurance, haughtiness, ostentation, self-absorption, vanity

Nearby words

  1. megaloenteron,
  2. megalogastria,
  3. megaloglossia,
  4. megalohepatia,
  5. megalokaryocyte,
  6. megalomaniac,
  7. megalomaniacal,
  8. megalomelia,
  9. megalopenis,
  10. megalophthalmus

Origin of megalomania

First recorded in 1885–90; megalo- + -mania
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for megalomania

British Dictionary definitions for megalomania

megalomania

noun

a mental illness characterized by delusions of grandeur, power, wealth, etc
informal a lust or craving for power
Derived Formsmegalomaniac, adjective, nounmegalomaniacal (ˌmɛɡələʊməˈnaɪəkəl), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for megalomania

megalomania

n.

"delusions of greatness," 1866, from French mégalomanie; see megalo- + mania "madness."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for megalomania

megalomania

[mĕg′ə-lō-mā′nē-ə, -mān′yə]

n.

A psychopathological condition in which delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence predominate.
An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions.
Related formsmeg′a•lo•ma′ni•ac′ n.meg′a•lo•ma•ni′a•cal (-mə-nī′ə-kəl) null adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Culture definitions for megalomania

megalomania

[(meg-uh-loh-may-nee-uh)]

Delusions of grandeur; an extreme form of egotism. Adolf Hitler is generally considered to have been a megalomaniac.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.