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

I don’t really have an ego in any of the things that I do.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 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

Happiness comes when you let your ego go.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

In my writing life I normally work seven days a week, but writing is ego food, totally self-supervised and intermittently productive of praise.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

"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

Another told me: "MPs have to be committed to this and keep their eyes on their seats not their egos."

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

If he has a super power, both as a captain and coach, it’s his ability to manage big egos and get them to buy into the team concept.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 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

Related Words

• character
• psyche