megalomania

noun

meg·a·lo·ma·nia | \ ˌme-gə-lō-ˈmā-nē-ə

, -nyə\

Definition of megalomania

1 : a mania (see mania sense 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

Other Words from megalomania More Example Sentences Learn More about megalomania

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Other Words from megalomania

megalomaniac \ -ˈmā-nē-ˌak

\ adjective or noun

megalomaniacal \ -mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl

\ or less commonly megalomanic \ -ˈma-nik

\ adjective

megalomaniacally \ -mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

Examples of megalomania in a Sentence

Their CEO has an arrogance that borders on megalomania.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Soviet leader, like Adolf Hitler, had a tendency to meddle in military decision making, and his megalomania could have persuaded him to pursue such an idea. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The USSR Planned a Super Sub That Launched Rockets and Delivered Tanks," 27 Dec. 2018 Holden is at the vanguard of that new method—and his insights are both its best-case scenario and, as Holden’s megalomania grows, a nightmarish display of everything at risk. — K. Austin Collins, HWD, "Before Jonathan Groff Could Nail Mindhunter, He Had to Stop Smiling," 14 June 2018 Giuliani’s grandiosity and megalomania may have worsened, but those qualities weren’t new even in 2001. — Chris Smith, The Hive, "“A Continuation of Rudy’s Descent into Wackiness”: The Trump-Rudy Bromance May Be the Greatest Lie of All," 4 May 2018 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.