Aggrandise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To grow or cause to grow in power, status, or influence ; to make someone or something appear more important or powerful through praise or exaggeration
2. To enlarge the scope of authority or control ; to raise the perceived prestige, importance, or standing of a person or entity
3. To expand or amplify one's dominance or rank ; to improve the public image or reputation by emphasizing achievements or qualities

Etymology: The verb "aggrandise" is a close relative of "grand," and its history runs through French. Its core is the Latin "grandis," meaning large or great, which passed into Old French as "grant" and then, in Middle French, as "grand." French speakers built "agrandir" from that base, using the prefix "a-" to mean "make larger," and English borrowed the idea almost whole. Literally, then, the word means "to make grander." English then added its own suffix. The ending "-ize," which comes from Greek "-izein" by way of Latin and French, was attached to make a verb of the French stem, and the result was "aggrandize." The "-ise" spelling used here is the British standard form of the same word, so the two spellings are the same verb with the same meaning.

Synonyms: augment, exaggerate, inflate, magnify, enhance

Antonyms: diminish, decrease, belittle, minimize, reduce