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View synonyms for Walter Mitty

Walter Mitty

noun

, plural Walter Mittys.
  1. an ordinary, timid person who is given to adventurous and self-aggrandizing daydreams or secret plans as a way of glamorizing a humdrum life.


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Other Words From

  • Walter Mittyish adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Walter Mitty1

From the title character of James Thurber's short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (1939)
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Idioms and Phrases

A person, generally quite ordinary or ineffectual, who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs. For example, He's a Walter Mitty about riding in a rodeo but is actually afraid of horses . This term comes from James Thurber's short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1939), describing just such a character.
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Example Sentences

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty opens in theaters on Christmas Day.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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