What does aggrandizing mean?
Aggrandizing is the act of making something—or more often someone—greater in power, wealth, importance, or reputation. It is the present participle of the verb aggrandize, which derives from the French agrandir, meaning to enlarge or make great. In modern usage the word frequently carries a critical edge: to accuse someone of aggrandizing themselves is to suggest they are inflating their own significance for personal gain, as in self-aggrandizing politicians who claim credit for others' work. The word can also be used neutrally, describing the genuine expansion of a nation's territory or an institution's influence. Because it appears most often in formal writing—political analysis, biography, editorial commentary—it signals a considered judgment rather than casual complaint. Related forms include aggrandize, aggrandized, and the noun aggrandizement, with self-aggrandizement being by far the most common collocation in contemporary English.
Increasing the power, wealth, importance, or reputation of a person or entity.
"The dynasty spent generations aggrandizing its holdings across the region."
When applied to oneself, usually carries a disapproving connotation.
The action or practice of magnifying importance or status, especially one's own.
"Constant self-aggrandizing eventually eroded the CEO's credibility."
As a gerund it commonly follows 'self-' in the fixed phrase 'self-aggrandizing'.
From the French 'agrandir' — to make great — aggrandizing is what ambitious people do when they make themselves look bigger than they are.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aggrandizing
Aggrandizing comes from the verb aggrandize, borrowed into English from French agrandir in the early seventeenth century. The French word itself derives from Latin grandis, meaning great or large, via Vulgar Latin *grandire, to make great. It thus shares its root with words such as grand, grandeur, and grandiose. The reflexive sense of enlarging one's own importance developed alongside the literal sense of territorial or material enlargement.
Related word forms
How aggrandizing is actually used
Formal register, common in political commentary and criticism. Frequently used in the participial adjective form ('self-aggrandizing behavior'), which carries a strongly negative connotation of vanity or opportunism.
Easily confused with aggrandizing
Aggravating means making something worse or irritating someone, while aggrandizing means increasing power, wealth, or status.