ego
Americannoun
plural
egos-
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.
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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.
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egotism; conceit; self-importance.
Her ego becomes more unbearable each day.
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self-esteem or self-image; feelings.
Your criticism wounded his ego.
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(often initial capital letter)
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the enduring and conscious element that knows experience.
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Scholasticism. the complete person comprising both body and soul.
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Ethnology. a person who serves as the central reference point in the study of organizational and kinship relationships.
noun
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the self of an individual person; the conscious subject
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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)
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one's image of oneself; morale
to boost one's ego
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egotism; conceit
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Michail Antonio says he had to "swallow his ego" after his near‑fatal car crash as he prepares to make his first club appearance in 15 months.
From BBC
The friendship could not survive Trotsky’s affair with Rivera’s wife, the painter Frida Kahlo, and the men’s growing clashes of politics and ego.
But this adventure in Seoul is simply an ego trip.
From Los Angeles Times
The recipe for success is a team with no egos, where everyone knows their role.
From Barron's
"He is not a politician and he is not an ego."
From BBC
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.
