Walter Mitty

American  

noun

• Walter Mittys
  plural

1. an ordinary, timid person who is given to adventurous and self-aggrandizing daydreams or secret plans as a way of glamorizing a humdrum life.

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Walter Mitty Idioms  

1. A person, generally quite ordinary or ineffectual, who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs. For example, He's a Walter Mitty about riding in a rodeo but is actually afraid of horses. This term comes from James Thurber's short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1939), describing just such a character.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Walter Mittyish
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Walter Mittys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Walter Mitty

From the title character of James Thurber's short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (1939)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Walter Mitty

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

Walter Mitty is a term sometimes used to describe a person who fantasizes about a life more interesting and exciting than their own.

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

Related Words

• idealist