as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case
I'd rather be thought of as a person with simple integrity, not a person given to grandiosity and exaggeration
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Recent Examples of grandiosity
His greed, grandiosity, divisiveness, and shifting agenda methods are not new.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 20 May 2026
Fascism became fashionable for a time, even if it was rooted in self-grandiosity, narcissistic grievance, and sadistic vengeance.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
The doctor further explained that the traits of a narcissist encompass low empathy, arrogance, entitlement, grandiosity and pathological selfishness.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
Such desperate attempts at grandiosity evoke empty vanity, clutching at physical monuments to prove a greatness that history has not yet conferred.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
For more than 50 years, mental health literature has taught professionals about narcissistic behavior, with its grandiosity, exaggerated need for praise, inability to admit error, and turning setbacks into personal grievances.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Entrepreneurs displaying narcissistic behavior are better able to convince investors to give them money when their grandiosity comes across as confidence as opposed to defensiveness or arrogance.
—Paul Sanchez Ruiz, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
Set in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the grandiosity of MoMA is deceptive.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
But self-indulgence is the whole point of This Music May Contain Hope, and the album wouldn’t work at all without her flamboyant grandiosity.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2026
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 20 May 2026
Fascism became fashionable for a time, even if it was rooted in self-grandiosity, narcissistic grievance, and sadistic vengeance.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
The doctor further explained that the traits of a narcissist encompass low empathy, arrogance, entitlement, grandiosity and pathological selfishness.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
Such desperate attempts at grandiosity evoke empty vanity, clutching at physical monuments to prove a greatness that history has not yet conferred.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
For more than 50 years, mental health literature has taught professionals about narcissistic behavior, with its grandiosity, exaggerated need for praise, inability to admit error, and turning setbacks into personal grievances.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Entrepreneurs displaying narcissistic behavior are better able to convince investors to give them money when their grandiosity comes across as confidence as opposed to defensiveness or arrogance.
—Paul Sanchez Ruiz, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
Set in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the grandiosity of MoMA is deceptive.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
But self-indulgence is the whole point of This Music May Contain Hope, and the album wouldn’t work at all without her flamboyant grandiosity.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandiosity
Noun
-
The elder Taylor exuded the easy-going charm of a music legend who is free of any airs or affectations.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Slumming with her sister in San Francisco after her life with her Madoff-like ex in New York implodes, Jasmine Francis isn't quite willing to let go of the affectations that come with living in high society.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That confidence isn’t arrogance.—
Datwon Thomas,
VIBE.com,
6 June 2026
-
As the subtitle promises, their answers are shared with all the vulgarity, pettiness, and arrogance intact.—
Juliet Izon,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Adley and his team make great tasting plates first and foremost, but some of the items, like the unmissable chicken wings stuffed with boudin blanc and romesco, act as a cheeky affront to haute cuisine’s pretensions and conventions.—
Colin Wrenn,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
-
Kids While the lobster is plentiful and the Champagne flows, the St Regis artfully avoids any pretension.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Moradillo sofas, Ethnicraft oak furniture, Inbani vanities, Catalano fixtures and handwoven rugs bring European polish to a distinctly Bahamian setting.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
An extended chapter of Hector on a shoot in Argentina could stand by itself as a wonderful short story about male ego, vanity, desire and loyalty.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver and Seth Meyers have all but abandoned any pretense of comedy in favor of yet another lecture on their ideological preferences.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
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That had long been the perception behind the scenes and, once Newcastle’s Champions League exit was sealed at the Camp Nou in March, any public pretence to the contrary evaporated.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grandiosity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandiosity. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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