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

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Etymology

Origin of ego

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

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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

“My ego likes to really think that I’ve got a lot of things figured out,” she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

"That lack of ego is really important in a world that everyone wants to show how amazing they all are… Kevin does it very quietly very subtly," explained the prince.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

Only instead of just peacefully apprehending opponents, Doncic’s super-competitive alter ego wants to smash them all under an array of increasingly rude step-back jumpers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Holmes raves about her husband, San Diego hotel-chain heir William Evans, whose ego takes up most of the space in their beachside rental.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

“Let’s just go up to the dude and see if we can talk a hole in his ego or whatever else it takes,” she said.

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers

The crux of this story is on Nelson and Morrison’s shoulders, and their sincerity flies in the face of good judgment and self-editing, giving viewers a palpable sense of their egos.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

Jurors in the rape trial of Katie Price's ex-husband have been told to cut through the "big egos" and "big personalities" involved in the case before considering their verdicts.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Absolutely, and the way it doesn’t get into my head is watching other comedians destroy their careers because of their big egos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

When asked by Fortune about the risk of human extinction, Altman said: "We all have a tremendous amount of responsibility, and cannot let egos or incentives for profit or anything else get in the way."

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 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

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Related Words

• character
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