Ego - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT ego /ˈigoʊ/ /ˈigəʊ/ IPA guide

Other forms: egos

Your ego is your conscious mind, the part of your identity that you consider your "self." If you say someone has "a big ego," then you are saying he is too full of himself.

Poor ego, it gets such a bad rap, being so often confused with "megalomania" and "vanity" and all kinds of other nasty things, but strictly speaking it is only a psychological term popularized by Freud meaning the conscious (as opposed to the unconscious) mind, or the awareness of one's own identity and existence. Nothing wrong in that, is there?

Definitions of ego

noun an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others synonyms: egotism, self-importance see moresee less type of: pride, pridefulness a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
noun your consciousness of your own identity synonyms: self see moresee less types: anima (Jungian psychology) the inner self (not the external persona) that is in touch with the unconscious type of: consciousness an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
noun (psychoanalysis) the conscious mind see moresee less type of: brain, head, mind, nous, psyche that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason

Pronunciation US /ˈigoʊ/ UK /ˈigəʊ/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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