Megalomaniacally

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Exhibiting an obsession with power or grandiosity in a way that is extravagant and often disregards reality
2. Acting in a manner characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance and a relentless pursuit of dominance
3. Behaving in a way that reflects a delusional belief in one's superiority and an overwhelming desire for control over others

Etymology: Megalomania is a compound of Greek "megas" (great) and "mania" (madness), and the adjective "megalomaniacal" was formed from it in English. The adverb here adds the suffix "-ly," which descends from Old English "-līce," a form of the adjective ending "-līc" (like) that was attached to words to make them describe manner. The sense of the whole word is therefore "in the manner of someone who is megalomaniacal." The suffix's history is the most interesting part of the chain. The ending traces back through Proto-Germanic "*-līkô" to a root shared with the English word "like," so the same idea of resemblance that appears in "likely" and "lovely" also sits at the core of "megalomaniacally." In Old English the form "-līċe" was used for adverbs of manner, and it survived through Middle English "-ly" to the present day. The result is a word whose ending is one of the oldest in English, built onto a Greek-derived stem coined in modern times. Its meaning rests on the simple sense of "in the way of" something, applied here to grandiose self-belief.

Synonyms: delusionally, narcissistically