Walter Mitty

American  

noun

plural

Walter Mittys

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

• Walter Mittyish adjective

Etymology

Origin of Walter Mitty

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

Example Sentences

“Snoopy, for example, is said to be an ‘extrovert beagle with a Walter Mitty complex.’

From Los Angeles Times

Earl's barrister Paul Hynes KC described his client as "a sad individual" and compared him to the deluded fictional character Walter Mitty.

From BBC

The attorney compared him to Walter Mitty, the character with the boring office job who escapes into elaborate imaginative worlds — a defense Sexton hated.

From Los Angeles Times

Commander Murphy likened Khalife to the self-aggrandising fictional character Walter Mitty, who daydreamed about extraordinary personal triumphs.

From BBC

He was described as a "Walter Mitty" character who had changed his name several times and had 32 convictions over 15 years in three countries.

From BBC

Related Words

• idealist