self-aggrandizing
adjective
self-ag·gran·diz·ing
ˌself-ə-ˈgran-ˌdī-ziŋ 
also -ˈa-grən-
: acting or intended to enhance one's power, wealth, position, or reputation
… staggeringly self-aggrandizing greed and theft …—
William J. Astore
William J. Astore… a self-aggrandizing cad bent on gathering for himself whatever spoils he can amass from the public coffers.—Paul Beckett
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
Jim Murray … whose dishonest, self-aggrandizing memoirs adroitly snookered the public … —Frank Rich
Frank Rich We hear of the self-aggrandizing fantasies which he told his sisters, as tales to amuse them. —Robert Penn Warren
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
Kieran Corcoran and Christopher Brennan
self-aggrandizement
noun
plural self-aggrandizements
… the construction of monumental buildings for self-aggrandizement.
—Beatrice Forbes Manz
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
Steven Winn
Examples of self-aggrandizing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Arnett’s narration is conversational but authoritative, proud but not self-aggrandizing.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 12 May 2025
While Musk’s often self-aggrandizing moves can be polarizing, Trump’s promotion of him as his proxy balances it out.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
Admittedly, to anyone not in Chalamet’s camp at this moment, that speech might have seemed self-aggrandizing, a kind of boy-king entitlement.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Heavy handed, self-aggrandizing hype and a near certain success in doing what any other major American politician would have been afraid to do.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2025
When senators read from their self-aggrandizing scripts, the resemblance to play actors is incontrovertible.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2025
Corbet recalled shooting the scene where Van Buren leads a group of party guests outside to a hillside overlook that would become the location for his institute and delivers a long speech that is somehow both self-pitying and self-aggrandizing.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Classifying what Piece by Piece will be exactly, especially in the often self-aggrandizing realm of the musical biopic, is a challenge.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
The rise of Huawei is painstakingly rendered in a small library of self-aggrandizing literature that the company publishes, including several volumes of quotes from its founder.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 16 Nov. 2020
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Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 12 May 2025
While Musk’s often self-aggrandizing moves can be polarizing, Trump’s promotion of him as his proxy balances it out.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
Admittedly, to anyone not in Chalamet’s camp at this moment, that speech might have seemed self-aggrandizing, a kind of boy-king entitlement.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Heavy handed, self-aggrandizing hype and a near certain success in doing what any other major American politician would have been afraid to do.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2025
When senators read from their self-aggrandizing scripts, the resemblance to play actors is incontrovertible.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2025
Corbet recalled shooting the scene where Van Buren leads a group of party guests outside to a hillside overlook that would become the location for his institute and delivers a long speech that is somehow both self-pitying and self-aggrandizing.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Classifying what Piece by Piece will be exactly, especially in the often self-aggrandizing realm of the musical biopic, is a challenge.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
The rise of Huawei is painstakingly rendered in a small library of self-aggrandizing literature that the company publishes, including several volumes of quotes from its founder.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 16 Nov. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Self-aggrandizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-aggrandizing. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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