folie de grandeur: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, Literary
Quick answer
What does “folie de grandeur” mean?
A delusion or mental condition characterized by exaggerated ideas of one's own importance, power, or identity.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A delusion or mental condition characterized by exaggerated ideas of one's own importance, power, or identity.
Used more generally to describe a person's unrealistic and inflated sense of self-importance, often manifesting in grandiose plans, actions, or self-perception that is disconnected from reality.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Slightly more common in British English due to historical and cultural proximity to French. In American English, the synonymous phrase 'delusions of grandeur' is often preferred.
Connotations
In both varieties, it implies a pathological level of self-aggrandizement, but the French phrase can sound more sophisticated or euphemistic.
Frequency
Low frequency in both, but higher relative frequency in UK publications, journalism, and literary criticism.
Grammar
How to Use “folie de grandeur” in a Sentence
[Subject] + suffer from + folie de grandeur[Possessive] + folie de grandeur + [Verb]a case of + folie de grandeurVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “folie de grandeur” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The CEO began to folie-de-grandeur his way through the merger talks, much to the board's alarm. (informal, non-standard)
adjective
British English
- His folie-de-grandeur plans for a personal space station were quietly shelved.
American English
- The dictator's folie-de-grandeur architectural projects bankrupted the nation.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to critique CEOs or leaders whose expansion plans are recklessly ambitious and disconnected from market realities.
Academic
Found in psychological, historical, and political science texts analyzing figures like dictators or revolutionary leaders.
Everyday
Rare in casual speech. May be used humorously or critically about someone acting pretentiously.
Technical
A historical psychiatric term, now largely superseded by clinical terms like 'narcissistic personality disorder' or specific delusional disorders.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “folie de grandeur”
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “folie de grandeur”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “folie de grandeur”
- Incorrect preposition: 'folie for grandeur' (correct: 'de').
- Mispronunciation: stressing 'grandeur' as in English 'grand' rather than the French approximation /ˈɡrɒ̃dɜː/ or /ɡrɑːnˈdɜːr/.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It was a descriptive term used in older psychiatry. In modern diagnostic manuals (like the DSM-5), it is not a standalone diagnosis but would be considered a symptom under 'delusional disorder, grandiose type' or as a feature of 'narcissistic personality disorder'.
'Delusions of grandeur' is more common and less formal in everyday English. 'Folie de grandeur' retains a more literary, clinical, or consciously sophisticated tone, often implying the speaker's own erudition.
In the British approximation, the final 'r' is very soft or not pronounced. In the American approximation, it is pronounced more clearly, akin to 'dur' or 'der'.
Yes, it is often used in a hyperbolic or ironic way to mock someone's mildly pretentious behaviour, not necessarily implying genuine mental illness (e.g., 'Your folie de grandeur is showing—planning a banquet for two people?').
A delusion or mental condition characterized by exaggerated ideas of one's own importance, power, or identity.
Folie de grandeur is usually formal, literary in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “He's got tickets on himself (Aus/NZ informal)”
- “Too big for his boots”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a French general (Folie) dreaming of being an emperor (de Grandeur) – it's a fancy phrase for a 'big madness' about being great.
Conceptual Metaphor
PRIDE/AMBITION IS A MENTAL ILLNESS.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the closest synonym for 'folie de grandeur' in a clinical context?