Megalomaniac
[me-gə-lō-mā-nē-ˌak]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, late 19th century
1.
a delusional individual who considers themselves all-knowing or all-poweful
2.
a leader who displays such arrogance as to be considered mentally ill
Examples of Megalomaniac in a sentence
"The megalomaniac ruler didn't listen to advisors or citizens, acting on his own whims."
"We tried voting him out of the foundation, but the megalomaniac had secretly eliminated our voting rights."
About Megalomaniac
Megalomania is most commonly associated with a diagnosable personality disorder called NPD, or narcissistic personality disorder. It's marked by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, excessive desire for love and respect, and an inability to empathize with others. Its name stems from the ancient tale of Narcissus, who stared at his reflection in a lake for so long that he turned into a flower.
Did you Know?
Emperor Caligula of Rome was such a megalomaniac that he installed his own horse as priest and consul of his court.
