( BrE also ag·grand·ise·ment ) / əˈgrændɪzmənt; NAmE / noun
[ U ] ( formal , disapproving ) an increase in the power or importance of a person or country :
Her sole aim is personal aggrandizement.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent. (in the general sense increase, magnify ): from French agrandiss- , lengthened stem of agrandir , probably from Italian aggrandire , from Latin grandis large. The ending was changed by association with verbs ending in -ize + -ment .