egoistic
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or of the nature of egoism.
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being centered in or preoccupied with oneself and the gratification of one's own desires; self-centered (opposed to altruistic).
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of egoistic
Explanation
Egoistic people believe we all put our own needs before those of others. If you're sure that self-interest inspires every human action — yes, even rescuing that sweet kitten from a tree — then you, my friend, are egoistic. Don't confuse egoistic with egotistic, a word which is often, and wrongly, used interchangeably with it. To be egotistic is to have too inflated an opinion of yourself — in other words, it's a form of self-delusion rather than a particular way of looking at the world. You can be egoistic without being egotistic. Got it?
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Egoistic Love.—It is obvious that the psychic irradiations of the sexual sense are strongly influenced by the individuality of the one who loves.
From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste
We must, of course, distinguish between the pleasure of the individual and the pleasure of other individuals of the race, between Egoistic and Universalistic Hedonism, as Mr. Sidgwick calls these very different doctrines.
From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, November 1879 by Various
Eudemonism, Eud�monism, ū-dē′mon-izm, n. the system of ethics that makes happiness the test of rectitude—whether Egoistic, as Hobbes, or Altruistic, as Mill.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Egoistic pleasures of all kinds are doubled by another's sympathetic participation; and the pleasures of another are added to the egoistic pleasures.
From Primitive Love and Love-Stories by Finck, Henry Theophilus
Egoistic impulses are recognized, in that reward and punishment are allotted, but the end urged upon the attention of the individual is the common good, not his own particular good.
From A Handbook of Ethical Theory by Fullerton, George Stuart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
