What does aggrandise mean?
Aggrandise is a formal verb meaning to make someone or something greater in power, rank, wealth, or importance. Its most frequent modern use is critical: to accuse a person of acting in order to aggrandise themselves — that is, to inflate their own status at the expense of others. A politician might be said to use a crisis to aggrandise his office, or a tycoon to acquire companies merely to aggrandise her empire. The verb derives from French agrandir, from Latin grandis ('great'), placing it in a family that includes grand, grandeur, and grandiose. British English spells it with -ise, while American English prefers aggrandize. Closely related forms include the noun aggrandisement and the phrase self-aggrandisement, both staples of political and biographical criticism. Because of its connotations of vanity and self-interest, the word is rarely neutral: it implies that the enlargement described is excessive, unwarranted, or morally suspect.
verbTo increase the power, importance, or wealth of someone or something; to make greater or more impressive. It often carries a negative connotation of self-serving enlargement of one's own status.
- To increase the power, rank, or wealth of a person or thing (often oneself), typically with a suggestion of self-interest.
- To make something appear greater or more impressive than it is.
"The general used the war to aggrandise his own position at court."
"Critics claimed the charity's founder was more interested in aggrandising himself than in helping others."
"The new title did little more than aggrandise a man who already held real power."
Napoleon's critics accused him of one thing above all: using an empire simply to aggrandise himself — the word has been the vocabulary of ambition's critics ever since.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aggrandise
Aggrandise comes from the French verb agrandir, meaning 'to enlarge', formed from Latin grandis, meaning 'great' or 'large'. English adopted the word in the seventeenth century, initially in the sense of increasing someone's rank or possessions. It shares its root with words such as grand, grandeur, and grandiose, all ultimately tracing back to the same Latin adjective.
Related word forms
How aggrandise is actually used
Formal and somewhat literary in register. The reflexive form 'aggrandise oneself' and the noun 'self-aggrandisement' are common in criticism of public figures. The spelling 'aggrandize' is standard in American English; 'aggrandise' follows British conventions.
Easily confused with aggrandise
Aggregate means to collect or total things together, whereas aggrandise means to enlarge someone's power or importance.