seddonism means pompous ambition, absurd pretension. It carries an Arena rating of 1268, earned across 230 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, seddonism ranks #1,774 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #2,724 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #2,909 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #4,134 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
Why “seddonism” is a great word
SEDDONISM — [Noun] A political style characterized by pompous ambition and absurd pretension. From the surname of Richard Seddon, Prime Minister of New Zealand (1893–1906). Unlike hubris, a general tragic flaw, or demagoguery, a calculated rhetoric of appeal, seddonism is the specific spectacle of self-importance swelling to comic proportions. It is the chest puffed out for a non-existent fanfare, the sonorous platitudes in a half-empty chamber, the commissioning of a heroic, twice-life-size bronze statue of oneself—the poignant comedy of a man mistaking his stage for a throne.
Etymology
Used in reference to Richard Seddon, New Zealand Prime Minister from 1893-1906.
noun
- Pompous ambition, absurd pretension.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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