alter ego

noun

ˌȯl-tər-ˈē-(ˌ)gō How to pronounce alter ego (audio)
Definition of alter egonext
1
as in friend
a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another over the years the state's other senator became his alter ego as well as his political ally

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in image
something or someone that strongly resembles another the hero of the novel is clearly the author's alter ego, right down to his receding hairline and middle-aged paunch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alter ego Sydney Sweeney is turning up the heat with her superhero alter ego. — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 22 Aug. 2026 The viral moment started with an Instagram Reel O'Donnell shared on July 28, in which her alter ego, Chanty, simply introduces herself to the camera. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 Cage plays private investigator Ben Riley, a man who has long abandoned his alter ego. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026 Much like his onscreen alter ego, Walmsley was a musician himself. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for alter ego
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alter ego
  1. friend
  2. image
  3. buddy
  4. twin
  5. picture
  6. replica
  7. clone
  8. duplicate
Noun
  • Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley estended her condolences to victim’s friends and family.
    — Elgin Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • More messages arrived over Discord, X, WhatsApp, and even from a colleague who had been asked by a friend to see whether Fabian would correct his story to say that the explosion had been caused by interceptor fragments.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of friend
Noun
  • Following Abloh’s death in November 2021, Kamara was appointed as art and image director and presented his first show, Spring/Summer 2023, in Paris that year.
    — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The telescope’s first images are expected in the beginning months of 2027.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of image
Noun
  • Then again, being that Vought has been pushing his buddy POTUS to back a federal incentive since May 2025 to little success until today, let’s see what the follow through here really is before anyone starts planning the parade.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The committee would eventually disband without an answer, despite the fact that Selig had helped engineer the sale of the team in 2005 to Lew Wolff, an old University of Wisconsin frat buddy, and John Fisher.
    — Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of buddy
Noun
  • But soaps demand evil twins, hence the Sybok of La’an’s imagination.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Ben and Zack, his 10-year-old twins, also spent time on the ice.
    — Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of twin
Noun
  • This picture shows signage of cross-border fast fashion e-commerce company SHEIN.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • One picture in the announcement included a snap of a baby onesie, a positive pregnancy test and a sonogram strip.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of picture
Noun
  • Today, replicas of various degrees of accuracy are readily available.
    — David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
  • After a project is complete, actors must sign off and be paid the equivalent of an in-person performance if their replica is used.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of replica
Noun
  • Some females, however, reproduce asexually by making clones of themselves.
    — Carrie Arnold Contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026
  • That’s in contrast to bacteria, which reproduce asexually, creating clones that are often nearly identical and easy to trace.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of clone
Noun
  • Application streamlining, like preventing duplicates and simplifying the online system, may also help.
    — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • While the original 29 code talkers who created the unbreakable code received Congressional Gold Medals, subsequent Code Talker graduates received the silver duplicate.
    — Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of duplicate

Browse Nearby Words

altered
alter ego
alter egos
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alter ego.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alter%20ego. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on alter ego

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alter ego

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All