egocentric

1 of 2

adjective

ego·​cen·​tric ˌē-gō-ˈsen-trik How to pronounce egocentric (audio)
 also  ˌe-
1
: concerned with the individual rather than society
2
: taking the ego as the starting point in philosophy
3
a
: limited in outlook or concern to one's own activities or needs
egocentrically adverb
egocentricity noun

egocentric

2 of 2

noun

plural egocentrics
: a person who is egocentric : someone who is limited in outlook or concern to his or her own activities or needs : a self-centered person
Almost all the shows feature egocentrics who are self-aware enough to realize that they are egocentric, and who have the redeeming feature of generally being very good at what they do.Susan Dominus
As for the man, the book depicts him as a monster of selfishness, a disloyal exploiter of friends, an egocentric who feeds on perversity …Hubert Saal

Did you know?

Ego means "I" in Latin. To an egocentric person, I is the most important word in the language. Great artists and writers are often egocentrics; such people can be hard to live with, though their egocentricity, an unfortunate side effect of their talent, is often forgiven. But ordinary egocentricity, which shows up as selfishness, lack of sympathy, and lack of interest in other people, usually has little to do with any personal talent or success.

Examples of egocentric in a Sentence

Adjective the cult attracts egocentric people who are preoccupied with reaching their potential as individuals
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In the 1980s, human language shifted to be more egocentric, emotional and supposedly less rational. Ellie Victor, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Nip the bud of this egocentric thinking immediately. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2023 English, like the vast majority of languages, is spatially egocentric. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 25 July 2023 Detectives began learning more about Rueda Landeros, an egocentric charmer 12 years younger than Marcum who held dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico, according to authorities. Dan Morse, Washington Post, 26 July 2023 Oriented Everywhere These speakers accomplish this orientation by means of a deep spatial sense that, for anyone raised with an egocentric language, borders on superhuman. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 25 July 2023 Larry Hagman’s egocentric oil baron J.R. Ewing gunned down. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2023 It’s not fatheaded, not fulfilled, not egocentric, but it is properly aimed, properly motivated, properly functioning. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 Jan. 2021 Thirty years ago most psychologists, philosophers and psychiatrists thought that babies and young children were irrational, egocentric and amoral. Alison Gopnik, Scientific American, 1 May 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'egocentric.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

ego + -centric

First Known Use

Adjective

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of egocentric was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near egocentric

Cite this Entry

“Egocentric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egocentric. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

egocentric

adjective
ego·​cen·​tric ˌē-gō-ˈsen-trik How to pronounce egocentric (audio)
: overly concerned with oneself : self-centered

Medical Definition

egocentric

1 of 2 adjective
1
: limited in outlook or concern to one's own activities or needs
2
: being self-centered or selfish
egocentrically adverb

egocentric

2 of 2 noun
: an egocentric individual

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