small man syndrome
- noun
- /smɔl mæn ˈsɪnˌdroʊm/
- Offensive
:
complejo de Napoleón
- His aggressive behavior at the meeting is a clear example of small man syndrome.
Examples
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The coach dismissed his harsh criticism as a sign of small man syndrome rather than genuine concern.
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Classic case of small-man syndrome.
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Many believe that small man syndrome causes some individuals to act more dominant in social settings.
Antonyms
How Dominating
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'small', 'man', and 'syndrome' allows a learner to infer this refers to a recurring pattern of behavior shown by small men, so the core idea is partly derivable. However, the specific pragmatic nuance—that the aggression/domineering behaviour is compensatory for perceived inferiority and is a colloquial, culture-bound label—is not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Small man syndrome imagines a small man who acts loud or bossy to seem bigger. One popular idea is that he is 'compensating' for feeling insecure, so the phrase means someone who behaves bossily or angrily to hide that feeling.