egotistical

adjective

ego·​tis·​ti·​cal ˌē-gə-ˈti-sti-kəl How to pronounce egotistical (audio)
 also  ˌe-
variants or less commonly egotistic
ˌē-gə-ˈti-stik How to pronounce egotistical (audio)
 also  ˌe-
: characterized by egotism : having, showing, or arising from an exaggerated sense of self-importance
an egotistical person/attitude/manner
… a man so egotistical … that he likened himself to Shakespeare, Milton and Byron …David Shaw
His celebrity and wealth have allowed him to indulge his whims to such an extent that the most egotistical Roman emperors, by comparison, seem models of psychological stability.Theodore Dalrymple
… each individual depends upon their friends to validate their own egotistical world view.Randall Collins
Hobson's book is a small but rare thing: a memoir that is not egotistical.Liesl Schillinger
… a difficult personality prompts analysts to describe him as having a prickly mosaic of characteristics: dominant, strong-willed, powerful, egotistic, … most of all arrogant.Stephen S. Hall
egotistically adverb
behaving arrogantly and egotistically
He had no objection to honey, he said …, but he protested against the overweening assumptions of bees. … If every confectioner went buzzing about the world banging against everything that came in his way and egotistically calling upon everybody to take notice that he was going to his work and must not be interrupted, the world would be quite an unsupportable place. Charles Dickens

Examples of egotistical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the film traced the rise of Pushpa Raj (Arjun), a laborer who rises through the ranks of a red sandalwood smuggling syndicate and faces off against an egotistical police officer. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024 And that was able to happen because — and not saying this in an egotistical way. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2024 The egotistical Professor Callahan (Michael Dean Morgan) hits on Elle a little harder than in the movie, but the sympathetic witness this time is Vivienne Kensington (Hana Slevin), the bride-to-be of Elle’s judgmental ex Warner Huntington III (Alexander Zenoz). Christine Dolen, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 It’s based on Mary Shelley’s novel about the brilliant but egotistical scientist Victor Frankenstein, who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Jan. 2024 Dunster, on the other hand, earned his first-ever Emmy nomination this year for his role of Jamie Tartt, who starts out as a selfish, egotistical ball hog who transforms into a far more emotionally mature team player by the final season. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024 In 1970s London, a young and orphaned Cruella aspires to be a fashion designer, working under the egotistical haute couture designer Baroness Von Hellman (Emma Thompson). Jaden Thompson, Variety, 5 Jan. 2024 The Whitney’s new home isn’t an egotistical building. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 14 Dec. 2023 The remark was pure Kissinger — witty, brash, egotistical and cynical — and comprised a nine-word summary of his version of realism. Norman Kempster, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'egotistical.' 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

egotistical from egotist + -ical; egotistic from egotist + -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of egotistical was in 1797

Dictionary Entries Near egotistical

Cite this Entry

“Egotistical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egotistical. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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