grandiose.

1. Large or elaborate in a way that seeks a striking impression of grandeur.

2. Extravagantly ambitious or self-important beyond what is realistic.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• grandiose entrance
• grandiose architecture

On the page

A grandiose entrance opened onto rooms no one could afford to heat.

The grandiose architecture dwarfed the line of waiting petitioners.

Usage notes

Primary category: setting. Forms: Comparative more grandiose; superlative most grandiose where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.