swelled head

English

Alternative forms

• swollen head

Noun

swelled head (plural swelled heads)

1. (informal) Self-conceit.
   • 1987, The Book of Fate & Fortune: Numerology & Astrology, Orient Paperbacks, published 2008, →ISBN, page 177:

     Success, however, is often their undoing, praise and flattery are inclined to make them have “swelled heads.”

   • 1994, Russ Whitney, Building Wealth: From Rags to Riches Through Real Estate, Fireside, published 1995, →ISBN, page 244:

     Conversely, when that same child does something exceptional, the parent will say, “Don’t get a swelled head from it.” The parent may be trying to help the child avoid becoming conceited, but the result is a message that says achievements aren’t anything to strive for or be proud of.

   • 1995, Hjalmar Bergman, translated by Hanna Kalter Weiss, Jac the Clown, Camden House, →ISBN, page 180:

     Now his ego inflates and his swelled head knows no bounds.

Related terms

• swelled-headed

References

• “swelled head”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
• “swelled head”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “swelled head”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “swelled head”, in McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs, 2002.
• “swelled head”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.