ego

noun

ˈē-(ˌ)gō How to pronounce ego (audio)
Definition of egonext
1
as in pride
a reasonable or justifiable sense of one's worth or importance I have enough ego that I don't give up easily when trying to win any contest or competition

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vanity
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements a star athlete with a refreshing lack of ego

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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 ego An America that feels safe because our leaders act with integrity and honor, not with a slavish, intemperate ego. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 While the sharp tailoring is the center of Russell and her character Kate Wyler’s Venn diagram, Russell takes a loucher approach than her fictional ambassador alter-ego. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026 During that time, Harry Guggenheim managed Wright’s ego, mercurial temperament, and expensive imagination with great patience. — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026 For Weinberg, learning from those failures requires putting ego aside and taking an honest look at what went wrong—and what worked. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ego
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ego
  1. pride
  2. vanity
  3. confidence
  4. arrogance
Noun
  • Some will say past results don’t matter, but many of TCU’s veterans are used to beating Baylor and take pride it in.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Behind the reputation that surrounded them, there was humor, loyalty, and pride.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pride
Noun
  • Rather than through a cold call or email, the scammers lure them through websites offering self-publishing or vanity publishing.
    — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026
  • And the angelic youth Dorian Gray’s deadly descent into vanity and vice—ignited by a hubristic obsession with his own image—eerily foreshadows the grim trajectory of Wilde’s later years.
    — Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of vanity
Noun
  • Economists like Robert Lucas and Edward Prescott — who each won Nobel Prizes — challenged Keynesian economics and its confidence that government policy could effectively smooth out the economy's ups and downs.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Moon in your sign squares Jupiter, making confidence, frustration, desire, or impatience harder to moderate.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of confidence
Noun
  • An America that seeks justice with dignity and wisdom, not arrogance and gore.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • These fascinating, illuminating episodes raise the question of whether great fiction requires the kind of single-mindedness and even arrogance that McCarthy cultivated.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogance

Phrases Containing ego

Browse Nearby Words

eggs (on)
ego
egocentric
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Cite this Entry

“Ego.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ego. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ego

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ego

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