alter ego

American  

[awl-ter ee-goh, eg-oh, al-] / ˈɔl tər ˈi goʊ, ˌɛg oʊ, ˈæl- /

noun

1. a second self; a perfect substitute or deputy.

   His adviser acts as his alter ego during his absence.

2. an inseparable friend.

3. another aspect of one's self.

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alter ego British  

/ ˈæltər ˈiːɡəʊ, ˈɛɡəʊ /

noun

1. a second self

2. a very close and intimate friend

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alter ego Cultural  

1. An intimate friend, considered another side of oneself: “He was my alter ego; we were always picking up each other's thoughts.” Alter ego is Latin for “another I.”

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Etymology

Origin of alter ego

1530–40; < Latin (Cicero), probably translation of Greek állos egṓ, héteros egṓ another I

Example Sentences

The film also stars Tom Neuwirth, known for his drag alter ego Conchita Wurst, who won the Eurovision Song Contest for Austria in 2014.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

“There was no one note,” she says of her onscreen alter ego.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

This was around the time of Coogan's Portuguese crooner alter ego, Tony Ferrino.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026

Several sculptures are based on the form of the falcon—a creature that Mr. Puryear has seemingly internalized like an alter ego.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

Such a dog-lover talks baby talk to mature and thoughtful animals, and attributes his own sloppy characteristics to them until the dog becomes in his mind an alter ego.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• soul mate