Aggrandise

to widen in scope; increase in size or intensity; enlarge; extend.
to make great or greater in power, wealth, rank, or honor.
to make (something) appear greater.
historical examples

it is easier to ruin a kingdom and aggrandise one’s own pride and prejudices than to set up a greengrocer’s stall.
table-talk william hazlitt

to aggrandise his own name, he had covered europe with blood.
blackwood’s edinburgh magazine, volume 62, no. 382, october 1847 various

full of haughtiness and ambition, nicholas sought to aggrandise his own family as well as the papal power.
the two first centuries of florentine history pasquale villari

the empress, too, forgets her own consequence, in eagerness to aggrandise her favourite.
the pastor’s fire-side vol. 3 of 4 jane porter

it extorts exorbitant revenues from this city to aggrandise other portions of the state.
satan’s invisible world displayed or, despairing democracy w. t. stead

but these use them for the benefit of others and not to aggrandise themselves.
a son of perdition fergus hume

this species of feudality is kept up to aggrandise the corporations at the ruin of towns; and the effect is visible.
the writings of thomas paine, volume ii thomas paine

to aggrandise himself or to aggrandise his house never entered into his thoughts.
the expositor’s bible: the book of joshua william garden blaikie

he is not painting pictures to aggrandise himself, he is only lovingly recording what he knows, feels, or hopes.
giotto harry quilter

lewis could not but dread whatever tended to aggrandise a state governed by william.
the history of england from the accession of james ii. thomas babington macaulay

verb (transitive)
to increase the power, wealth, prestige, scope, etc, of
to cause (something) to seem greater; magnify; exaggerate
verb

to enhance the wealth of
word origin

latin a- ‘from’ + grandir ‘to increase’
usage note

transitive
v.

1630s, “to make larger, increase,” from french agrandiss-, present participle stem of agrandir “to augment” (16c.), ultimately from latin ad “to” (see ad-) + grandire “to make great,” from grandis (see grand (adj.)). the double -g- spelling in english is by -n-logy with latin words in ad-. related: aggrandized; aggrandizing.