Meaning & use

self-aggrandizing

adjective·Advanced

Acting or speaking in a way that exaggerates one's own importance, power, or achievements to impress others.

See it in a sentence

His self-aggrandizing speech left the audience unimpressed and a little embarrassed for him.

The memoir's self-aggrandizing tone made it hard to trust any of the author's claims.

A note on using this word

Self-aggrandizing carries a clearly negative judgment, implying the exaggeration is deliberate and often unearned.

Words with a similar meaning

boastfulegotistical

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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