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ego

n.
US //ˈiɡoʊ// UK //ˈiːɡəʊ// ego
  1. 1 self-importance (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    your sense of your own value and importance, often used when someone thinks too highly of themselves.

    an individual's sense of self-esteem or self-importance. Often used in a pejorative sense to describe arrogance or a fragile self-image.

    Example

    He has a massive ego and hates it when people disagree with him.

    Example

    The manager's fragile ego made it difficult for him to accept constructive criticism from his subordinates without becoming defensive.
  2. 2 the conscious mind (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    the part of your mind that is aware of yourself and the world around you.

    the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and mediates between primitive drives and social morals.

    Example

    In his theory, the ego tries to balance what we want with what is possible.

    Example

    Freudian theory posits that the ego functions as a mediator between the impulsive desires of the id and the idealistic standards of the superego.

    Usage

    Usually used with the definite article 'the'.
    • id
    • superego
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  1. 3 kinship reference point (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Academic Science

    the person used as the starting point on a family tree or chart.

    the individual from whose perspective a kinship chart is drawn or through whom relationships are traced.

    Example

    On this family tree, ego is the person in the center marked with a square.

    Example

    In anthropological diagrams, kinship terms are defined relative to ego, regardless of the actual biological connections involved.

    Usage

    Typically used without an article in academic diagrams.
Origin

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.

Word family

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