aggrandizement
Puffing oneself up
Aggrandizement is the act of increasing power, status, wealth, or importance—usually one's own.
The word carries a whiff of disapproval, suggesting ambition that exceeds merit or propriety: The senator's proposals seemed designed for personal aggrandizement rather than public good.
Self-aggrandizement is the most common form, describing someone who inflates their own importance.
Decorative addition or exaggeration
- pufferyOverblown self-promotion
- inflationSustained price level increase
- hyperboleRhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstatementClaim beyond the facts
magnification · boasting · bragging · self-promotion · tall tales · mythologizing · hagiography · spin
Praising oneself excessively
- self-importanceExaggerated sense of significance
- vanityExcessive pride in oneself
- narcissismExcessive admiration of oneself
- egotismInflated sense of self-importance
conceit · hubris · arrogance · pomposity · boastfulness · smugness · grandiosity · pride
Growing one's domain
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
- hegemonyDominant group's control
- supremacyHighest rank or power
- territorial expansionIncreasing a state's domain
imperialism · colonialism · conquest · annexation · expansionism · autocracy · despotism · tyranny
Seeking higher status
- eminenceElevated rank or renown
- distinctionNotable difference or honor
- title inflationExaggerated job names
- name-droppingCiting connections for status
nobility · peerage · honorifics · acclaim · recognition · prominence · credential inflation · pedigree
Collected mass over time
- enrichmentImprovement through addition
- profiteeringExploiting scarcity for gain
- hoardingExcessive accumulation of goods
- acquisitivenessDesire to gather wealth
materialism · opulence · plutocracy · treasure · patrimony · endowment · financial empire · rent-seeking
embellishment
Decorative addition or exaggeration
- pufferyOverblown self-promotion
- inflationSustained price level increase
- hyperboleRhetorical extreme exaggeration
overstatement · magnification · boasting · bragging · self-promotion · tall tales · mythologizing · hagiography · spin · dramatization
self-glorification
Praising oneself excessively
- self-importanceExaggerated sense of significance
- vanityExcessive pride in oneself
- narcissismExcessive admiration of oneself
egotism · conceit · hubris · arrogance · pomposity · boastfulness · smugness · grandiosity · pride · haughtiness
empire-building
Growing one's domain
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
- hegemonyDominant group's control
- supremacyHighest rank or power
territorial expansion · imperialism · colonialism · conquest · annexation · expansionism · autocracy · despotism · tyranny · consolidation
social climbing
Seeking higher status
- eminenceElevated rank or renown
- distinctionNotable difference or honor
- title inflationExaggerated job names
name-dropping · nobility · peerage · honorifics · acclaim · recognition · prominence · credential inflation · pedigree · lineage
accumulation
Collected mass over time
- enrichmentImprovement through addition
- profiteeringExploiting scarcity for gain
- hoardingExcessive accumulation of goods
acquisitiveness · materialism · opulence · plutocracy · treasure · patrimony · endowment · financial empire · rent-seeking
- praiselauding, compliments, laudation, accolades, great job
- mythologyZeus, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Odin
- exaggerationhyperbole, overstatement, exaggeration, magnification, amplification
- nobility titlesking, queen, prince, princess, duke
aggrandizementdiminishment
Process of becoming smaller
reduction · degradation · abasement · decline · demotion
aggrandizementhumility
Freedom from arrogance
modesty · self-effacement · humbleness · unpretentiousness · meekness
aggrandizementdepreciation
Asset value reduction over time
devaluation · minimization · trivialization · underestimation · disparagement