grandiosity

G2R1A1N1D2I1O1S1I1T1Y4

noun

The state of being grandiose (pompous or pretentious).

UncommonScrabble 16

Meanings

noungrandiosity (countable and uncountable, plural grandiosities)

plural grandiosities

  1. countableuncountableThe state of being grandiose (pompous or pretentious).

    U2 have never been a band noted for their love of shy understatement, but even by their standards, their arrival in Las Vegas represents a hitherto-unimagined degree of grandiosity.

    2023 September 30, Alexis Petridis, “U2 review – an utterly astonishing, admirably raw Vegas extravaganza”, in The Guardian, London
    1 more example

    […] the narcissistic leader does not use his narcissistic charisma only as a means for political success; he needs success and applause for the sake of his own mental equilibrium. The idea of his greatness and infallibility is essentially based on his narcissistic grandiosity, not on his real achievements as a human being.

    1973, Erich Fromm, The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Part Three, Chapter 9, pp.202-3

Synonyms & antonyms

nounhigh-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation

Broader
expressive stylestyle

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Bulgarian помпозност, претенциозност
  • помпозност (pompoznost)the state of being grandiose
  • претенциозност (pretencioznost)the state of being grandiose
German Großspurigkeit
  • Großspurigkeitthe state of being grandiose
Polish wspaniałość, majestatyczność
  • wspaniałośćthe state of being grandiose
  • majestatycznośćthe state of being grandiose
  • megalomaniathe state of being grandiose
Cite this entry
APA

grandiosity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grandiosity

MLA

“grandiosity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grandiosity. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “grandiosity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grandiosity.

Source: grandiosity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.