Did you know?
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.
Examples of ego in a Sentence
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 2025
Once more, the interests and egos of the men who sit at the very top of Spanish football are clashing, in a Clasico week in which the eyes of the footballing world are upon them.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Written and produced alongside pop-rock maestro Andrew Watt with additional work from The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, the album tracks Carlile’s own untangling of deeply personal insecurities around ego, legacy, politics and independence.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
In astrology, the sun is symbolic of our ego, identity and life force, while Pluto governs themes of transformation, power and rebirth.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ego
Cite this Entry
“Ego.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ego. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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ego
noun
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