Napoleon complex

noun

plural Napoleon complexes

: a domineering or aggressive attitude perceived as a form of overcompensation for being physically small or short

—not used technically

… short-fused assistant principals with Napoleon complexes.

—Robert Wilder

Call it a Napoleon complex or call it confidence, but the tiniest of dogs are usually the ones who take no crap.

—Heather Barnett

He has a Napoleon complex, by virtue of being small and young in a job meant for the mighty and wise.

—Spencer Kornhaber

Allison Anders was not your typical five-foot, four-inch film school nerd with a Napoleon complex the size of Texas.

—Veronica Chambers

Examples of Napoleon complex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Blacktip Shark The everyman shark with a Napoleon complex. —Erik Vance, New York Times, 26 July 2024

That is true of almost all of these men, though, with the exception of my favorite jungle gym, Jason, the only man in the group who actually knows what a Napoleon complex is. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 21 May 2024

Everyone’s familiar with the Napoleon complex—a syndrome wherein a man displays aggressive or domineering behavior to compensate for his short stature. —Graham Techler, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

after napoléon i (Napoléon Bonaparte)

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above