Mitty
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Mitty
C20: from a short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1939), by James Thurber
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.
He said Owen, who had no previous convictions and came from a "successful, stable family", had been described by his father as a Walter Mitty character who "lives in a fantasy world".
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
It’s not difficult to predict how Sonny’s arc will curve: It’s a Walter Mitty story, but also an Ugly Duckling story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Carell: My instinct was to not make Greg a nebbish, because I didn’t want it to be Walter Mitty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026
Those behind the Walter Mitty Hunters Club would not speak to me directly - or tell me who they are - but in message exchanges told me they were all ex-service personnel.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
“To aging Walter Mitty types like myself, Dick Bass was an inspiration,” Seaborn Beck Weathers explained in a thick East Texas twang during the trek to Everest Base Camp last April.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
