egocentric
Americanadjective
-
having or regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things.
an egocentric philosophy that ignores social causes.
-
having little or no regard for interests, beliefs, or attitudes other than one's own; self-centered.
an egocentric person; egocentric demands upon the time and patience of others.
- Synonyms:
- self-obsessed, self-absorbed
- Antonyms:
- unselfish, altruistic
noun
adjective
-
regarding everything only in relation to oneself; self-centred; selfish
-
philosophy pertaining to a theory in which everything is considered in relation to the self
an egocentric universe
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of egocentric
Explanation
If you are egocentric, the whole world centers on you and you don't pay much attention to other people. Are you even listening to me? Egocentric is a pretty recent word (from the early 20th century) and it quite literally means "self-centered." Does its recent invention mean that the human race is becoming more egocentric? If you're concerned about that possibility, maybe you're not as egocentric as I thought.
Vocabulary lists containing egocentric
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List 6
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"Food Product Design" by Eric Schlosser
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Man or woman, Morris remained imperious, snobbish and egocentric.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Veronika's tool use is directed at her own body, which is known as egocentric tool use.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
Skarsgård plays egocentric concert director Johannes Godwin, who has been hired to film Charli’s “Brat” show and who has some dominating ideas.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
"He has pretty strong political ambitions for a second term, and is pretty politically egocentric, as all leaders are at his level."
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025
In order to be profoundly dishonest, a person must have one of two qualities: either he is unscrupulously ambitious, or he is unswervingly egocentric.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
