megalomania

[ meg-uh-loh-mey-nee-uh ]

/ ˌmɛg ə loʊˈmeɪ ni ə /

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See 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.

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Origin of megalomania

First recorded in 1885–90; megalo- + -mania

Words nearby megalomania

megaloblast, megaloblastic anaemia, megalocardia, megalocephalic, megalocephaly, megalomania, megalomaniac, megalopolis, megalopolitan, megalops, megalopsia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use megalomania in a sentence

It’s supposed to read as vulnerability, but it looks a lot like megalomania, surely the exact opposite of what Larraín intended.
Kristen Stewart and Pablo Larraín Do Princess Diana Wrong in Spencer|Stephanie Zacharek|September 3, 2021|Time
Beethoven, of course, was no stranger to megalomania, and he even loved to brag to his friends about his vanity.
Japan’s Beloved Deaf Composer is Neither Deaf Nor a Composer|Jimmy So|February 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is not to suggest that Romney should aspire to megalomania of Newtonian proportions.
Romney Cuts Loose O'Donnell, Perhaps Out of Ego|Michelle Cottle|February 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
As the race theory must inevitably lead to megalomania and reaction, so it must inevitably lead to militarism.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea

Even as race heresy must result in racial megalomania, it must result in political reaction and in the government of caste.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea
Of that megalomania the Kaiser has been, in innumerable speeches, the eloquent and insolent spokesman.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea
I went out of my mind, I had megalomania; but then I was cheerful, confident, and even happy; I was interesting and original.
The Lady With The Dog and Other Stories|Anton Chekhov
What should be a generous, and in part altruistic, exaltation becomes mere megalomania.
Ancient Art and Ritual|Jane Ellen Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for megalomania

megalomania

/ (ˌmɛɡələʊˈmeɪnɪə) /

noun

a mental illness characterized by delusions of grandeur, power, wealth, etc

informal a lust or craving for power

Derived forms of megalomania

megalomaniac, 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

Cultural 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.

megalomania

Origin of megalomania

Words nearby megalomania

Words related to megalomania

How to use megalomania in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for megalomania

Derived forms of megalomania

Cultural definitions for megalomania