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What do you call someone who thinks they are overly special/out of the ordinary?

Examples:

Sally believes she has been touched by the hand of God

Mike is attractive and is always successful with the ladies. He believes he is God's gift to women

Tom is smartest in his class and people always praise his intelligence. Tom believe he is one of the smartest people in the world because he never met anyone smarter than him.

John is a businessman. He believes everything he touches turns to gold

The word exaggerate doesn't fit the above context because it cannot be proven they are exaggerating since they haven't failed yet, they are definitively not delusional because they are successful in life and their assertions haven't been disproven. Telling them they exaggerating their abilities will result in them scorning you and since your skills or success don't compare to theirs you will always lose any argument.

What are word(s) to describe them?

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  • Overly hopeful. Or just naïve.
    – BladorthinTheGrey
    Commented Oct 26, 2016 at 17:39
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    Special snowflake
    – J. Siebeneichler
    Commented Oct 26, 2016 at 17:40
  • Thank you "Special snowflake" urban dictionary definition matches exactly!Defintion: a person who believes they are different and unique from everyone else because of something there are or do. Calling someone more successful than you a snowflake just feels odd though. Special snowflake is also in no standard dictionary.
    – dfmetro
    Commented Oct 26, 2016 at 17:43
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    Egotistic, conceited, big-headed, vainglorious, pompous
    – jmartindill
    Commented Oct 26, 2016 at 17:44
  • Dr. Strange :-)
    – Ekaterin Nile
    Commented Oct 26, 2016 at 20:30

5 Answers 5

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A special snowflake is someone who feels he is different (read: better) than everyone else.

This term is quite informal and has gained a lot of popularity recently; I often see it used in criticism against social justice warriors. Its origin lies on the oft-repeated trivia that no two snowflakes are the same.

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Megalomaniac may apply to your description:

  • A megalomaniac is a pathological egotist, that is, someone with a psychological disorder with symptoms like delusions of grandeur and an obsession with power. We also use the word megalomaniac more informally for people who behave as if they're convinced of their absolute power and greatness. Your garden-variety egomaniac might be self-centered and overconfident but he's a little softy compared with the megalomaniac who wants to control the world.

Vocabulary.com

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Hubris would be the word.

[mass noun] Excessive pride or self-confidence.
‘the self-assured hubris among economists was shaken in the late 1980s’

(oxforddictionaries.com)

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  • How would you use it to describe a person e.g. He is a hubrite. (Hubrite doesn't seem to be a word)
    – dfmetro
    Commented Oct 27, 2016 at 4:55
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conceited, self-conceited

having or showing too much pride in your own worth or goodness,

an exaggerated opinion of one's own qualities or abilities

Full Definition 1 : ingeniously contrived : fanciful 2 : having or showing an excessively high opinion of oneself

narcissistic (personality disorder)

a personality disorder characterized especially by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, persistent need for admiration, lack of empathy for others, excessive pride in achievements, and snobbish, disdainful, or patronizing attitudes

arrogant

having or showing the insulting attitude of people who believe that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people : having or showing arrogance

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S/he is full of himself/herself.

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