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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

After he saves the day, and his Daily Planet colleagues remark on Superman’s skills, his alter ego Clark Kent gives a sly glance to the camera, letting the audience in on the, quite obvious, ruse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

PdVSA is effectively Venezuela’s alter ego, tied at the hip given that oil remains the lifeblood of the economy.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

He disappears upstairs and returns minutes later in a blonde wig, yellow polo with the collar popped and a white linen jacket—the costume of his alter ego, “Hall and Grits.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

I’d always thought of him as Baba’s quiet alter ego, my writing mentor, my pal, the one who never forgot to bring me a souvenir, a saughat, when he returned from a trip abroad.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• soul mate