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Ego is the Latin word for "I." So if a person seems to begin every sentence with "I", it's sometimes a sign of a big ego. It was the psychologist Sigmund Freud (well, actually his original translator) who put ego into the popular vocabulary, but what he meant by the word is complex, so only other psychologists really use it in the Freudian sense. The rest of us generally use ego simply to mean one's sense of self-worth, whether exaggerated or not. When used in the "exaggerated" sense, ego is almost the same thing as conceit. Meeting a superstar athlete without a trace of this kind of ego would be a most refreshing experience. But having a reasonable sense of your own worth is no sin. Life's little everyday victories are good—in fact, necessary—for a healthy ego.
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Examples of ego in a Sentence
Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025
Films follows Bradley Mack (Sutherland), a Hollywood action star with a bloated ego, who is blindsided when his iconic action franchise is abruptly canceled.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025
On the other hand, Maresca does not have to manage as many players and their fragile egos so his job might have become a bit easier.
—Sam Lee, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
There’s ego, politics, the human condition, man’s yearning for understanding.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ego.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ego. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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ego
noun
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