What does megalomania mean?
Word: Megalomania
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Megalomania means an unhealthy belief that you are extremely important or powerful, often with a great desire for more power.
Synonyms: arrogance, conceit, self-importance
Antonyms: humility, modesty
Word origin: Formed in the late 1800s as a medical term from Greek megas, megal-, 'great', and a Greek word for madness.
How do you spell megalomania?
Syllables: meg - a - lo - ma - ni - a
Tricky part: The middle vowels are said quickly, so students write megolomania or megalamania. The word starts from megalo-, the Greek for great.
Watch out for: megolomania, megalamania, megalomanea
Memory tip: Megalo- means great, as in megalopolis, a huge city: write megalo in full before the madness part.
Megalomania in a sentence
Example 1: The villain's megalomania led him to build a statue of himself in every town.
Example 2: The king in the fairy tale was so full of megalomania that he renamed every street after himself.
Example 3: The comic strip makes fun of a cat whose megalomania convinces it that it owns the house.
Fun Fact
Doctors first used the word for delusions of grandeur, a false belief that you are far greater or more powerful than you are. Today it is used more loosely about anyone hungry for power.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Fusion
Choose the two parts that make the word described:
This word names a hunger for power that comes from believing you are far greater than you are. 1. Megalo 2. Tele 3. Hydro 4. maina 5. mania 6. scope
a) 1 and 4
b) 1 and 5
c) 3 and 5
d) 2 and 4
Show answer
b) 1 and 5. Megalo, great, is followed by mania, which ends -ia like insomnia.
Word Champ
Choose the correct option:
1. Megalomania is an unhealthy belief in your own power and importance. 2. A megalith is a tiny pebble used in jewellery. 3. A megaphone is a cone-shaped device that makes your voice louder.
a) only 1 is true
b) only 1 and 3 are true
c) all three are true
d) only 2 and 3 are true
Show answer
b) only 1 and 3 are true. A megalith is a huge standing stone, so statement 2 is false.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
aemamlgioan
a) a strong dislike of meeting new people
b) a great love of collecting old books
c) a constant worry about becoming ill
d) a belief that you deserve to rule over everyone around you
Show answer
d) a belief that you deserve to rule over everyone around you. Eleven letters with three a's and two m's make megalomania, an inflated sense of your own power.
Word Tally
Score 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. What is the total score?
megalomania, megaphone, megalith, megabite, megastar
a) 4
b) 8
c) 10
d) 6
Show answer
b) 8. Four words are right, 8 marks; the computer unit is spelt megabyte.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these remarks shows megalomania?
a) 'Our team played well, and so did theirs.'
b) 'I would like to be class monitor next year.'
c) 'One day every country in the world will obey me.'
d) 'I hope I pass my science test.'
Show answer
c) 'One day every country in the world will obey me.'
2. A club member with megalomania would most likely ___.
a) avoid speaking at meetings
b) insist that every decision must be theirs alone
c) ask others for advice before deciding
d) share the credit for a win with the team
Show answer
b) insist that every decision must be theirs alone
