Kenodoxia
/ˌkɛnəˈdɒksiə/noun
Excessive pride in one’s own achievements, reputation, or spiritual importance; vainglory.
Did you know?Early Christian writers treated kenodoxia as a spiritual danger because the desire for human praise could corrupt even acts that appeared virtuous.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kenh₁-
“Empty or lacking; the ancient root associated with the Greek word for emptiness”
Classical Greek
Greek
kenos (κενός)
“Empty, void, or having nothing within”
Classical Greek
Greek
doxa (δόξα)
“Opinion, reputation, or glory; originally connected with what one thinks or is thought to be”
Koine Greek
Greek
kenodoxia (κενοδοξία)
“Vainglory or empty glory; the craving for admiration and status”
Early Christian Greek
Greek
kenodoxia
“A vice involving self-exaltation and the pursuit of praise from others”
Modern English
English
kenodoxia
“An uncommon theological and literary term for vainglory or hollow self-importance”