ego

American  

[ee-goh, eg-oh] / ˈi goʊ, ˈɛg oʊ /

noun

plural

egos

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.”

Etymology

Origin of ego

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

Example Sentences

It’s a biography of our national ego, with Marty brashly lecturing the British head of the International Table Tennis Association that a champion from the United States would boost the sport’s global reputation.

From Los Angeles Times

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

As he has pivoted from this declaration a decade later, one would think his ego would bruise from his non-stop insistence that he’s too ignorant for anyone to expect him to know things.

From Salon

When people call him a hero, he admits it feels good, not out of ego, but because his actions were acknowledged.

From BBC

“Singing became a background to just being the character, which honestly, in some ways, was the hardest thing. Maybe even for my ego as as an artist.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• character
• psyche