ego

American  

[ee-goh, eg-oh] / ˈi goʊ, ˈɛg oʊ /

noun

egos plural

1. the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.

2. Psychoanalysis. the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment.

3. egotism; conceit; self-importance.

   Her ego becomes more unbearable each day.

4. self-esteem or self-image; feelings.

   Your criticism wounded his ego.

5. (often initial capital letter)

   1. the enduring and conscious element that knows experience.

   2. Scholasticism. the complete person comprising both body and soul.

6. Ethnology. a person who serves as the central reference point in the study of organizational and kinship relationships.

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ego British  

/ ˈɛɡəʊ, ˈiːɡəʊ /

noun

1. the self of an individual person; the conscious subject

2. psychoanal the conscious mind, based on perception of the environment from birth onwards: responsible for modifying the antisocial instincts of the id and itself modified by the conscience (superego)

3. one's image of oneself; morale

   to boost one's ego

4. egotism; conceit

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ego Cultural  

1. The “I” or self of any person (ego is Latin for “I”). In psychological terms, the ego is the part of the psyche that experiences the outside world and reacts to it, coming between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social environment, represented by the superego.

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Discover More

The term ego is often used to mean personal pride and self-absorption: “Losing at chess doesn't do much for my ego.”

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• egos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ego

First recorded in 1780–90; from Latin: “I”; psychoanalytic term is translation of German (das) Ich “(the) I”

Explanation

Your ego is your conscious mind, the part of your identity that you consider your "self." If you say someone has "a big ego," then you are saying he is too full of himself. Poor ego, it gets such a bad rap, being so often confused with "megalomania" and "vanity" and all kinds of other nasty things, but strictly speaking it is only a psychological term popularized by Freud meaning the conscious (as opposed to the unconscious) mind, or the awareness of one's own identity and existence. Nothing wrong in that, is there?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ego egos

Generously sized and steered toward realism, the director’s take on Odysseus is epically satisfying, even if it skimps on the character’s ego and lust.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

The opening “I Feel So Free” is the thesis statement, framing the club as a place that dissolves ego, lessens anxiety, and offers a portal to communal bliss.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The source further alleged, “The truth is that Pitt’s ego and obsession for control got in the way. Brad refused to work with Stoli simply because Angie chose them, not him.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

Every player has got an ego, but it seems like he is on top of his.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

Let Imogen feed her ego if she needed to.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

The Lorne that emerges is one with many superpowers: Discovering talent, yes, but also surviving the years and the weeks when it doesn’t launch — managing creative egos.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Also, races become their own justification; egos are at stake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

But it also exposed some of the immense egos driving its development.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

CEOs should tap in to collective wisdom, not their egos: An AI trained on one person’s thinking doesn’t scale leadership; it scales one person’s blind spots.

From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026

Jim was playing not to individual egos but to a common sense of humanity, purpose, and urgency.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• character
• psyche