as in jerk
a person who believes that he or she has unlimited power or importance
Their CEO is a real megalomaniac who feels she can partake in any luxury with the company's profits.
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Recent Examples of megalomaniac
And leading the country is a megalomaniac — Anthony Starr’s always riveting Homelander — who might be going insane.
—
James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Trump has a child’s attention span, a megalomaniac’s urge for a ribbon cutting before his term ends, zero willingness to listen to anyone who doesn not agree with him, and — most of all — an unshakable belief that his taste and judgment is far better than any arts commission’s.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Apr. 2026
Henry is a megalomaniac and a complete wuss.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
There are still many in this country who value truth, who believe that history should be preserved and not erased, who understand that constitutional rights should not be swept away to suit the whims of a megalomaniac, and who refuse to wallow in ignorance and hate.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
By late 2020, however, Sam Altman himself had come to seem about as trustworthy as the average corporate megalomaniac.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Pierre Bergé called me a megalomaniac and threw me out the next season.
—James Fallon, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
The Houthis are led by a family of clerical megalomaniacs who have been prophesying apocalyptic war since the early 2000s.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Trump has a child’s attention span, a megalomaniac’s urge for a ribbon cutting before his term ends, zero willingness to listen to anyone who doesn not agree with him, and — most of all — an unshakable belief that his taste and judgment is far better than any arts commission’s.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Apr. 2026
Henry is a megalomaniac and a complete wuss.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
There are still many in this country who value truth, who believe that history should be preserved and not erased, who understand that constitutional rights should not be swept away to suit the whims of a megalomaniac, and who refuse to wallow in ignorance and hate.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
By late 2020, however, Sam Altman himself had come to seem about as trustworthy as the average corporate megalomaniac.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Pierre Bergé called me a megalomaniac and threw me out the next season.
—James Fallon, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
The Houthis are led by a family of clerical megalomaniacs who have been prophesying apocalyptic war since the early 2000s.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for megalomaniac
Noun
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This was just the beginning of us young anarchists becoming judgmental jerks.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
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Dear Jay Norvell, try not to be a complete @#$&%# jerk.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His visit comes on the heels of his announcement over the weekend that La Marqueta will be the site of the first of five city-run grocery stores, with one set for each borough.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Meghan wore a dark navy dress paired with black Dior heels, while Harry coordinated in a navy suit, white shirt and black shoes.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Miller’s traveling salesman is here something of a sad clown running out of gas.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
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Tasked to play the foil to McKellen’s clown, Coel comes off stiff.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After months bandying about the term joker to describe his team’s need for a matchup-threat pass-catcher, Sean Payton sat with the media at the NFL owners’ meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, last year and confirmed Denver had gotten its guy.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
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Students are required to bring two full decks of cards including the jokers.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Megalomaniac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/megalomaniac. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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