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

"It's a childish response from a man who has never grown up, who has an immense ego which takes him absolutely nowhere," Anne Wardrop, a 90-year-old retiree, told AFP of the name change.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Often star soloists are employed, each exhibiting ego and leaving the conductor as ringmaster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Since the 1960s, car companies, particularly those promoting fast cars or big trucks, have tailored their advertising to the male ego, according to Roach.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

Count Binface is the satirical alter ego of comedian Jon Harvey, who has specialised in satire and been involved with BBC comedy shows, including The Thick of It and Have I Got News For You.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

It was true that he was intelligent and sure of himself, but there was an innocence about him, too, a confidence without ego, a throwback to another time and place, which she found endearing.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In Pressure, Stagg is thrown into a high-stakes furnace of egos.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

"An aggressive pacifism, obviously, but we only bruise our victims' egos," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Why would people want to flee their egos?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

We’re wrangling a lot of very needy creative egos.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

But even after months of managing egos and matching names and positions, Garfield didn't have the rest of his cabinet in place when he reached Washington.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• character
• psyche