egoism

[ ee-goh-iz-uhm, eg-oh- ]

See synonyms for: egoism egoisms on Thesaurus.com

noun

the habit of valuing everything only in reference to one's personal interest; selfishness (opposed to altruism).
egotism or conceit.

Ethics. the view that morality ultimately rests on self-interest.

Origin of egoism

First recorded in 1775–85; from French égoïsme, from New Latin egoismus, equivalent to ego ego + -ismus -ism

synonym study For egoism

1. See egotism.

Other words from egoism

an·ti·e·go·ism, noun

Words that may be confused with egoism

egoism , egotism (see synonym study at egotism)

Words Nearby egoism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use egoism in a sentence

Ethical egoism – which says that the ethical thing is that which brings about the greatest happiness for oneself – is a relevant ethical theory in this situation.
A Philosopher Answers Everyday Moral Dilemmas In A Time Of Coronavirus | LGBTQ-Editor | April 15, 2020 | No Straight News
He spoke continually of himself, indeed, but still in enigmas; a veiled prophet of egoism.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI | Robert Louis Stevenson
What delicate comprehension of everything, what a loving heart, what a complete absence of egoism!
Dream Tales and Prose Poems | Ivan Turgenev
He has attained to annihilating himself, his hateful ego; but I too; it's not from egoism, I pray not.
Dream Tales and Prose Poems | Ivan Turgenev
My sufferings, my repugnance, my feelings, all my egoism—for I know that I am an egoist—ought to be sacrificed to the family.
Honorine | Honore de Balzac

And when, with cynical egoism, they have collected their unnumbered dollars, what do they do with them?
American Sketches | Charles Whibley

British Dictionary definitions for egoism

egoism

/ (ˈiːɡəʊˌɪzəm, ˈɛɡ-) /

noun

concern for one's own interests and welfare
ethics the theory that the pursuit of one's own welfare is the highest good: Compare altruism

self-centredness; egotism

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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