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

the egotistic pro quarterback was always too busy to sign autographs, forgetting that the fans had paid good money to see him play the true spirit of the Christmas season is the resolve to be less egotistic and more altruistic
Recent Examples on the Web Pharrell Williams’s egotistical fantasy Talent is not always original. Armond White, National Review, 11 Oct. 2024 One scene portrays a tense argument among members of the group when egotistical then-lead singer David Ruffin (played by Leon Robinson) insists that the group’s audiences are attending their shows to see him. Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 3 Oct. 2024 The poster is of Downey as the egotistical Australian thespian Kirk Lazarus, who takes Method acting to an extreme. Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2024 Stubborn stereotype portrays women as prey to emotion, unable to rein themselves in, yet in book after book, her protagonists’ relentless restraint has stood in stark contrast to the egotistical, violent impulsiveness of the men around them. Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for egotistical 

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 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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