ego
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈiɡo/
ipa: /ˈiːɡəʊ/
ipa: /ˈɛɡəʊ/
ipa: /ˈiɡoʊ/
rhymes: -iːɡəʊ
Forms: form: egos
Etymology: From Latin ego (“I”). Chosen by Freud’s translator as a translation of his use of German Ich as a noun for this concept from the pronoun ich (“I”). Doublet of I and Ich.
Senses: examples: text: When every thought absorbs your attention completely, when you are so identified with the voice in your head and the emotions that accompany it that you lose yourself in every thought and every emotion, then you are totally identified with form and therefore in the grip of ego. Ego is a conglomeration of recurring thought forms and conditioned mental-emotional patterns that are invested with a sense of I, a sense of self.
ref: 1998, Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth:
glosses: The self, especially with a sense of self-importance.
examples: text: In the well adjusted person the ego is the executive of the personality and is governed by the reality principle.
ref: 1954, Calvin S. Hall, A Primer of Freudian Psychology:
text: ‘Everything begins with “I”, you mean. Which is ego,’ said Tom, placing an ankle behind his ear, ‘not id.’
ref: 1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section I, page 13:
topics: human-sciences
psychology
sciences
qualifier: Freudian
glosses: The most central part of the mind, which mediates with one's surroundings.
examples: text: Too many gay people "come out" publicly, yet fail to achieve truly healthy egos. They "adjust" to being less than whole or integrated persons.
ref: 1976 February 7, Philip Gambone, “Coming Out: The Gay Identity Process”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 32, page 4:
text: My columns in the early days of the Labour government often featured John Prescott, who was in charge of transport as part of a mega-department created to match his ego.
ref: 2024 January 10, Christian Wolmar, “A time for change? ... just as it was back in issue 262”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 60:
glosses: A person's self-esteem and opinion of themselves.
examples: text: the cousin of ego on the father's side
topics: anthropology
human-sciences
sciences
qualifier: genealogy
glosses: The individual from whose point of view a family tree or pedigree chart is drawn, or the reference point from whom kinship terminology is relative. (Used without the definite article the.)
Synonyms: I
Ich
Coordinate terms: sense: Freudian self
word: id
sense: Freudian self
word: superego
Derived terms: absolute ego
alter ego
auxiliary ego
egoboo
ego boost
egoboost
egocast
egocentric
egocentrically
egocentricity
egocentrism
egocidal
egocide
ego death
ego dissolution
egodystonic
ego-dystonic
egoed
ego-expansion
egofag
egofaggotry
egofest
egohood
egoic
egoical
egoism
egoist
egoistic
egoistical
egoistically
egoitis
egoity
egoless
ego lifter
ego lifting
egolike
egology
ego loss
egomania
egomaniac
ego-minded
ego-mindedness
egonomics
egophony
egophoric
egoscan
ego-self
ego shooter
egosurf
ego surfing
ego-surfing
egosurfing
egosyntonic
ego-syntonic
egotheism
egotism
egotist
egotistic
egotistical
egotistically
ego trip
ego-trip
ego-tripping
empirical ego
executive ego function
massage someone's ego
nonego
non-empirical ego
pure ego
super-ego
superego
transcendental ego