megalomania

noun meg·a·lo·ma·nia \ ˌme-gə-lō-ˈmā-nē-ə , -nyə \

1 : a mania (see mania 2a) for great or grandiose performance

an outburst of wildly extravagant commercial megalomania
—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

2 : a delusional mental illness that is marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur

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megalomaniac

play \-ˈmā-nē-ˌak\ adjective or noun

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megalomaniacal

play \-mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl\ or less commonly megalomanic play \-ˈma-nik\ adjective

—

megalomaniacally

play \-mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See megalomania defined for English-language learners

Examples of megalomania in a Sentence

Their CEO has an arrogance that borders on megalomania.

Recent Examples of megalomania from the Web

Some critics (including the group that in March dumped 88 pounds of animal dung outside the Palazzo) view the show as an exercise in megalomania.

— mary carole mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "On a trip to Venice, art is inescapable," 8 June 2017
Perhaps no one has embraced the role of villain more than the team’s owner, Joe Lacob, who let his Silicon Valley brashness border on Lex Luthor-like megalomania after Golden State’s sweep of the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals.

— benjamin hoffman, New York Times, "How the Golden State Warriors Became the N.B.A.’s Villains," 31 May 2017
The Character: Elliott Goss, Search Party Elliott Goss, John Early’s character in the TBS comedy-thriller Search Party, constantly straddles the line between strict moralism and astronomical megalomania.

— yohana desta, VanityFair.com, "How Search Party’s John Early Flipped TV’s Awful Millennial Trope," 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'megalomania.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of megalomania

New Latin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1885

See Words from the same year

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

MEGALOMANIA Defined for English Language Learners

megalomania

noun

: a condition or mental illness that causes people to think that they have great or unlimited power or importance

Medical Dictionary

megalomania

noun meg·a·lo·ma·nia \ ˌmeg-ə-lō-ˈmā-nē-ə, -nyə \

: a delusional mental illness that is marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur

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Britannica English: Translation of megalomania for Arabic speakers

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