Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun a sad or pathetic person given to
flights of fancy , adaydreamer . - noun an
imposter , especially one claiming military service he has in fact never undergone.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun fictional character created by James Thurber who daydreams about his adventures and triumphs
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Walter Mitty.
Examples
-
I propose we use the term Walter Mitty to refer to these people or even shorten it to "Walts"
Army Rumour Service 2010
-
I propose we use the term Walter Mitty to refer to these people or even shorten it to "Walts"
Army Rumour Service 2010
-
I propose we use the term Walter Mitty to refer to these people or even shorten it to "Walts"
Army Rumour Service 2010
-
I propose we use the term Walter Mitty to refer to these people or even shorten it to "Walts"
Army Rumour Service 2010
-
I propose we use the term Walter Mitty to refer to these people or even shorten it to "Walts"
Army Rumour Service 2010
-
Justin is, what over here UK we call a 'Walter Mitty', a blustering gobhsite, a wannabe-never-gonna-be, just full of piss and wind.
-
Fantasy sequences were nothing new when Thurber wrote "Walter Mitty," but what was new was the elaborate way he connected the fantasies to the real world (having some real-life thing transition Mitty into his fantasy, and having something in the fantasy merge back with reality) and the connections between the various fantasies (like the running gag of having a sound described as "Pocketa-pocketa-pocketa" in each fantasy, coming from a different machine each time).
Archive 2007-05-01 Jaime J. Weinman 2007
-
Fantasy sequences were nothing new when Thurber wrote "Walter Mitty," but what was new was the elaborate way he connected the fantasies to the real world (having some real-life thing transition Mitty into his fantasy, and having something in the fantasy merge back with reality) and the connections between the various fantasies (like the running gag of having a sound described as "Pocketa-pocketa-pocketa" in each fantasy, coming from a different machine each time).
Pocketa-Pocketa-Pocketa Jaime J. Weinman 2007
-
Faster than you can say "Walter Mitty," he is whisked into the world of corporate espionage and counter spying.
Cypher digitaldoc 2006
-
Faster than you can say "Walter Mitty," he is whisked into the world of corporate espionage and counter spying.
Archive 2006-02-01 digitaldoc 2006
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.