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Walter Mitty

noun

plural

Walter Mittys

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 Word Forms

Walter Mittyish 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

Examples have not been reviewed.

Commander Murphy likened Khalife to the self-aggrandising fictional character Walter Mitty, who daydreamed about extraordinary personal triumphs.

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He was described as a "Walter Mitty" character who had changed his name several times and had 32 convictions over 15 years in three countries.

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"Interstellar used an ice glacier as a stand in for another planet and then there was Batman Begins, Game of Thrones and the Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Ben Stiller," he said.

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In short, “Toes” is a Walter Mitty story — a shaggy-dog tale about a man whose wild daydreams are at once a coping strategy and a revelation of his character.

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In her work for the 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Greene used antique patterns to outfit Ben Stiller’s character in a 1940s playsuit.

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Related Words

idealist��

Lippmann, Walter Walters

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