egoism

American  

[ee-goh-iz-uhm, eg-oh-] / ˈi goʊˌɪz əm, ˈɛg oʊ- /

noun

1. the habit of valuing everything only in reference to one's personal interest; selfishness (opposed to altruism).

2. egotism or conceit.

3. Ethics. the view that morality ultimately rests on self-interest.

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egoism British  

/ ˈiːɡəʊˌɪzəm, ˈɛɡ- /

noun

1. concern for one's own interests and welfare

2. ethics the theory that the pursuit of one's own welfare is the highest good Compare altruism

3. self-centredness; egotism

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Related Words

See egotism.

Other Word Forms

• antiegoism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of egoism

First recorded in 1775–85; from French égoïsme, from New Latin egoismus, equivalent to ego ego ( def. ) + -ismus -ism ( def. )

Explanation

Someone who is full of himself and doesn't give a darn about other people has a healthy supply of egoism. Egoism means "me me me me me-ism." Egoism has a lot to do with selfishness, which sounds like a bad thing, right? Not necessarily. Some people think that being selfish is the best thing to do for the world as a whole. In other words, if everyone is selfish, everyone will be better off. So egoism can be considered positive or negative — it all depends how someone uses the word. This makes egoism different from egotism — an always yucky type of selfishness.

Example Sentences

Egoism mastered diffidence, countered improvidence with "confidence in my strength and cleverness," and channeled all energies into the prolific output of well-made novels.

From Time Magazine Archive

Egoism is the exclusive love of self, is the thoughtful and permanent search for our own pleasure and our own well-being.

From Lectures on the true, the beautiful and the good by Cousin, Victor

Egoism does not necessarily imply the invidious stigma of selfishness.

From Suspended Judgments Essays on Books and Sensations by Powys, John Cowper

Egoism or Ihood, the old contracting, narrowing cell, is destroyed as this expansive and expanding force grows and breaks forth.

From Dialogues on the Supersensual Life by Böhme, Jakob

She recalled Spencer's chapter on "Egoism versus Altruism."

From Shadows of Flames A Novel by Rives, Amélie