Walter Mitty
Mundane life, heroic dreams
A Walter Mitty is a person who escapes from ordinary life into elaborate fantasies of heroism, adventure, or importance.
From James Thurber's 1939 short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," whose meek protagonist imagines himself as a daring surgeon, fighter pilot, and assassin while running errands with his domineering wife: He's a bit of a Walter Mitty—always daydreaming about being a rock star.
Imaginative mental wandering
- reverieAbstracted, pleasant daydream
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- escapistSeeker of distraction
- dreamerOne given to fantasies
woolgathering · absent-minded · distracted · inattentive · lost in thought · head in clouds · zoning out · mind-wandering
Commonplace, lacking excitement
- unremarkableNot worthy of comment
- everymanOrdinary representative person
- commonplaceUnremarkable and frequent
- humdrumLacking variety or excitement
routine · prosaic · suburban · henpecked · meek · mild-mannered · unassuming · invisible
Humbly unassertive
- shyReserved and retiring
- submissiveReadily yielding to control
- henpeckedControlled through persistent nagging
- passiveNot actively participating
unassertive · docile · mousy · pushover · doormat · intimidated · browbeaten · dominated
Secret parallel identity
- secret identityUndisclosed true self
- transformationThorough change in form
- liberationRelease from constraint
- wish fulfillmentDesires made real
compensation · coping · refuge · inner world · mental escape · hidden self · alter ego · reinvention
Flamboyantly daring and heroic
- daringAdventurous courage
- fearlessLacking any apprehension
- intrepidResolutely without fear
- heroicExceptionally brave and noble
adventurer · secret agent · fighter pilot · surgeon · sea captain · sharpshooter · rescue · bravery
fantasy
Imaginative mental wandering
- reverieAbstracted, pleasant daydream
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- escapistSeeker of distraction
dreamer · woolgathering · absent-minded · distracted · inattentive · lost in thought · head in clouds · zoning out · mind-wandering · spaced out
mundane
Commonplace, lacking excitement
- unremarkableNot worthy of comment
- everymanOrdinary representative person
- commonplaceUnremarkable and frequent
humdrum · routine · prosaic · suburban · henpecked · meek · mild-mannered · unassuming · invisible · overlooked
meek
Humbly unassertive
- shyReserved and retiring
- submissiveReadily yielding to control
- henpeckedControlled through persistent nagging
passive · unassertive · docile · mousy · pushover · doormat · intimidated · browbeaten · dominated · mild-mannered
double life
Secret parallel identity
- secret identityUndisclosed true self
- transformationThorough change in form
- liberationRelease from constraint
wish fulfillment · compensation · coping · refuge · inner world · mental escape · hidden self · alter ego · reinvention · make-believe
swashbuckling
Flamboyantly daring and heroic
heroic · adventurer · secret agent · fighter pilot · surgeon · sea captain · sharpshooter · rescue · bravery · gallantry
- EponymsDarwinian, Alzheimer's disease, Freudian slip, cardigan, Parkinson's disease
- TV CharactersHomer Simpson, Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Marge Simpson, Maggie Simpson
Walter Mittyman of action
One who acts, not deliberates
adventurer · doer · action hero · war hero · Ernest Shackleton
Walter Mittyalpha male
Dominant group leader
go-getter · Ernest Shackleton · Amelia Earhart · leader · mover and shaker
Walter Mittyman of action
One who acts, not deliberates
Theodore Roosevelt · doer · Ernest Hemingway · Bear Grylls · Chuck Yeager