self-aggrandizing

adjective

self-ag·​gran·​diz·​ing ˌself-ə-ˈgran-ˌdī-ziŋ How to pronounce self-aggrandizing (audio)
 also  -ˈa-grən-
: acting or intended to enhance one's power, wealth, position, or reputation
… staggeringly self-aggrandizing greed and theft …William J. Astore
a self-aggrandizing cad bent on gathering for himself whatever spoils he can amass from the public coffers.Paul Beckett
especially : boastful often in disregard of the truth
self-aggrandizing remarks
… the skill of talking about yourself in a natural way without coming off as a self-aggrandizing braggart. Jim Murray
… whose dishonest, self-aggrandizing memoirs adroitly snookered the public … Frank Rich
We hear of the self-aggrandizing fantasies which he told his sisters, as tales to amuse them. Robert Penn Warren
… was publicly suspended with no pay for six months after it emerged that he repeatedly told a self-aggrandizing, false story about being aboard a military helicopter hit by an RPG over Iraq. Kieran Corcoran and Christopher Brennan
self-aggrandizement
ˌself-ə-ˈgran-dəz-mənt
-ˌdīz- How to pronounce self-aggrandizing (audio)
 also  -ˌa-grən-ˈdīz-
noun
plural self-aggrandizements
… the construction of monumental buildings for self-aggrandizement. Beatrice Forbes Manz
A native reticence, almost an aversion to anything that might be construed as boasting or self-aggrandizement, is paired with innate optimism, loyalty and a quiet determination. Steven Winn

Examples of self-aggrandizing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Quite frankly, Booth’s eventual demise by the show’s finale is a relief from the constant rants and self-aggrandizing. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 In North Korea, experts say, Trump handed brutal dictator Kim Jong Un a powerful propaganda victory by holding fruitless and self-aggrandizing summits. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 The image of Nyad that has emerged in recent weeks, as reported in an in-depth piece by my Times colleague Josh Rottenberg, is of a remarkable athlete with a history of exaggerating her many achievements — a self-aggrandizing scourge of the marathon swimming community. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2023 It’s been the same as the rest, self-interested, self-aggrandizing, only with better winter weather. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Aug. 2023 With some actors, the idea that a basically normal businessman might be this innately persuasive could read as self-aggrandizing, even delusional. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 June 2023 The filmmaker mocks the machismo of uniformed service professions via his explicitly gay scenarios and laughs at the self-aggrandizing upper classes with a strenuous flatulence. Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2023 Season 3 of the once-great show fell into disarray amid a series of mind-boggling character choices, self-aggrandizing flights of fancy and obnoxiously long and meandering episodes. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 31 May 2023 And Barry’s trip to Los Angeles is something of a self-aggrandizing spiritual quest. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-aggrandizing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-aggrandizing was in 1820

Dictionary Entries Near self-aggrandizing

Cite this Entry

“Self-aggrandizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-aggrandizing. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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