Walter Mitty



Walter Mitty

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.

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Jenkins['dʒeŋkinz]
Najib-Arabic
BoŽOBO-zhoCroatian, Serbian, Slovene
Daina-Lithuanian, Latvian
Berry (2)BER-eeEnglish (Rare)
MarjolijnMAHR-yo-lienDutch