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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

aggrandisement

Noun

IPA /əˈɡrændɪzmənt/

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Meaning in plain English

An increase in someone's power, status or importance, often pursued for selfish reasons.

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Pronunciation

aggrandisement/əˈɡrændɪzmənt/

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  1. A leader seeks greater personal status

  2. Their power and importance increase

  3. The group's needs come second

Personal aggrandisement puts increasing one's own importance ahead of other concerns.

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Examples in context

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  1. His constant boasting seemed designed for personal aggrandisement.
  2. The committee rejected a proposal that served the director's aggrandisement more than the team.

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His constant boasting seemed designed for personal ________.
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aggrandisement — An increase in someone's power, status or importance, often pursued for selfish reasons.

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An increase in someone's power, status or importance, often pursued for selfish reasons.

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Word origin

Related to French agrandir, meaning to enlarge, and ultimately to Latin grandis, meaning large.

Did you know?

Aggrandisement is a British spelling; aggrandizement is also used in British English and is usual in American English.

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aggrandisement

/əˈɡrændɪzmənt/ (Noun)

“This formal word is disapproving. Personal aggrandisement suggests seeking importance for yourself.”

englishskillstudio.com