grandiose

adjective

1
: characterized by affectation of grandeur or splendor or by absurd exaggeration
They did not believe his grandiose claims.
2
: impressive because of uncommon largeness, scope, effect, or grandeur
had grandiose plans for the city
grandiosely adverb
grandioseness noun
grandiosity noun

Did you know?

When it comes to bigness, there’s grand and then there’s grandiose. Both words can be used to describe something impressive in size, scope, or effect, but while grand may lend its noun a bit of dignity (i.e., “we had a grand time”), grandiose often implies a whiff of pretension. The difference between a grand plan for the city park and a grandiose one, for example, might be the difference between a tasteful fountain and a garden full of topiaries cut in the shapes of 19th century literary figures. So if you’re choosing between the two, a helpful mnemonic might be that the extra letters in grandiose suggest that one’s ideas, claims, promises, schemes, dreams—you get the idea—are a bit extra.

Choose the Right Synonym for grandiose

grand, magnificent, imposing, stately, majestic, grandiose mean large and impressive.

grand adds to greatness of size the implications of handsomeness and dignity.

a grand staircase

magnificent implies an impressive largeness proportionate to scale without sacrifice of dignity or good taste.

magnificent paintings

imposing implies great size and dignity but especially stresses impressiveness.

an imposing edifice

stately may suggest poised dignity, erectness of bearing, handsomeness of proportions, ceremonious deliberation of movement.

the stately procession

majestic combines the implications of imposing and stately and usually adds a suggestion of solemn grandeur.

a majestic waterfall

grandiose implies a size or scope exceeding ordinary experience

grandiose hydroelectric projects

but is most commonly applied derogatorily to inflated pretension or absurd exaggeration.

grandiose schemes

Examples of grandiose in a Sentence

He was full of grandiose ideas. a grandiose plan to upgrade the entire interstate highway system in 10 years
Recent Examples on the Web The contrast between Navalny’s rushed funeral, attended by ardent supporters, and Putin’s grandiose state-of-the-nation address a day earlier could not have been starker. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 This is supposed to be a moment of grandiose catharsis, but things don’t feel different. Joshua Minsoo Kim, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024 Elena has become more and more paranoid about fungal incursions into her grandiose residence. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2024 But as my gaze reflexively rose to the grandiose plateaus that surrounded us, anxious anticipation dissolved into nurturing calm. Katie James Watkinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2024 Guides set up camp tents as guests take a hike or relax in lawn chairs taking in the grandiose scenery. Pete Zimowsky, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 Then again, even Bucky and Buck might have balked at the show’s grandiose opening titles. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024 Read our review here and a report on the making of the show and its grandiose host venue here. Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Jan. 2024 Combative, angry and prone to grandiose claims — newly unveiled footage of an April 2023 deposition gives a glimpse into how former President Donald Trump behaves when testifying under oath. Graham Kates, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grandiose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Italian grandioso, from grande great, from Latin grandis

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of grandiose was in 1818

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Dictionary Entries Near grandiose

Cite this Entry

“Grandiose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grandiose. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

grandiose

adjective
gran·​di·​ose ˈgran-dē-ˌōs How to pronounce grandiose (audio)
1
: impressive because of uncommon largeness, scope, effect, or grandeur
2
: characterized by deliberately assumed grandeur or splendor or by absurd exaggeration
grandiose schemes
grandiosely adverb
grandiosity noun

Medical Definition

grandiose

adjective
gran·​di·​ose ˈgran-dē-ˌōs How to pronounce grandiose (audio) ˌgran-dē-ˈ How to pronounce grandiose (audio)
: characterized by affectation of grandeur or splendor or by absurd exaggeration
a paranoid patient with grandiose delusions
grandiosely adverb
grandiosity noun
plural grandiosities

More from Merriam-Webster on grandiose

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