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The context in which I want to use this word is that of someone making an effort to show off how smart they are. They are putting effort into creating a certain impression regarding their intellectual capabilities.

Self-aggrandizement is pretty close, but not quite specific enough because I am looking to specifically post out that they're primarily focusing on intelligence.

Edit

How this would be used in a case for someone describing an individual who is citing facts just to make themselves sound smarter

'that person is focusing on self-[WORD]'

How this might be used in a neutral case.

'The health board carefully explained all their recommendations for many reasons, one of which is [WORD] so that people can have confidence on the capabilities of the board'.

SantoshGupta7
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  • Is this intended to have a positive, negative, or neutral connotation? – GArthurBrown Jul 20 '21 at 07:10
  • @GArthurBrown I don't see how it could be positive since it is clearly an overestimation; however it could be either innocent (true belief of who is speaking but still boastful and wrong) or blatantly dishonest, merely attempting to fool the audience; negative in all cases… – LPH Jul 20 '21 at 07:17
  • @GArthurBrown I was thinking of a negative connotation, similar to how self-importance and self-aggrandizement, but without 'self-', the word may not necessarily negative, like 'importance' and 'aggrandizement' and neutral. – SantoshGupta7 Jul 20 '21 at 07:43
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    This is still unclear. Is this the disingenuous 'smarter than they actually are' or the very reasonable 'smarter than an assumed arbitrary baseline in the minds of an examination board'? Self-aggrandisement strongly suggests the former while your last two sentences preclude this. more formal word for know-it-all might help for the first usage. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 20 '21 at 11:10
  • What I was thinking is that the expression itself does not indicate any indicator of relative intelligence. Though self-[WORD] focus on someone creating an impression. In the case of self-importance, or self-aggrandizement, those terms are typically used in cases where someone is inferring a level than what they are at. The same would happen with self-[WORD] – SantoshGupta7 Jul 20 '21 at 11:58
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    Try pontificate 1. To express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way (AHD). – Xanne Jul 21 '21 at 02:34
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    Pretentious isn't limited to intelligence, but certainly can mean exaggerating your intelligence by pontificating about things you don't actually understand. – Stuart F Dec 17 '21 at 09:50
  • A single word which means to pretend to have knowledge and intelligence but which can also mean to flaunt knowledge and intelligence one actually possesses, the former in order to dupe the listener and the latter in order to get them to heed one's advice? – TimR Feb 06 '24 at 10:50
  • I might throw bloviate into the pot – Red Feb 06 '24 at 16:46

3 Answers3

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There does not exist a word to express this idea; what you are talking about is the overestimation of something by an individual, that being his/her intelligence. Only noun phrases will convey the meaning properly.

  • the overestimating of his/her intelligence

  • his/her overestimation of his/her intelligence

LPH
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    Isn't this more of a comment than an answer? – Dan Jul 20 '21 at 11:05
  • @Dan To make something appear bigger than it really is, is of the nature of overestimation; so "overestimation" is an answer to "what is that sort of aggrandizement (for want of a better term, as explained in the OP's text)? – LPH Jul 20 '21 at 11:25
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Self-proclaimed

Self-congratulation

Self-congratulatory

Self-Praise

Might be a reasonable word to use though its not specific to intelligence. It still works because the subject requires no external assessment to laud oneself.

JuanNo
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  • Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. – Community Apr 16 '22 at 10:36
  • But OP specifies 'Self-aggrandizement is pretty close, but not quite specific enough because I am looking to specifically post out that they're primarily focusing on intelligence.' – Edwin Ashworth Apr 16 '22 at 11:37
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Insofar as my knowledge extends I cannot call to mind a specific verb for the idea you wish to express. One word you may find suitable is dilettante meaning:

A person who cultivates an area of interest without real knowledge or commitment .

In other words they only have a superficial knowledge but use it to affect intelligence. “The dilettante of health endlessly cited the ‘facts’”.

ostentatious may also work. It is an adjective describing something ‘designed to impress or for show’. He ostentatiously cited the facts” or he adduced the ostentatious facts

KillingTime
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Jack
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