egotistical

adjective

ego·​tis·​ti·​cal ˌē-gə-ˈti-sti-kəl 

 also  ˌe-

variants or less commonly egotistic

ˌē-gə-ˈti-stik 

 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

ˌē-gə-ˈti-sti-k(ə-)lē 

also

ˌe- 

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

Synonyms

• prideful
• arrogant
• proud
• egoistical
• domineering
• egoistic
• cavalier
• conceited

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

Frankenstein, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic tale of Victor Frankenstein, centers on a brilliant but egotistical scientist (Isaac) who brings a creature (Elordi) to life in an experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation. —Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025

In the film, Oscar Isaac stars as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature (Jacob Elordi) to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation. —Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025

The show, which follows the DC Universe's Peacemaker, an egotistical vigilante played by John Cena, introduced a whole new dimensional twist in the season 2 premiere but still had plenty of jokes, fighting and of course, dancing. —Colleen Kratofil, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Cena gets to show off his mane of hair while playing Peacemaker, the egotistical vigilante that made his debut in 2021's Suicide Squad and now leads the acclaimed HBO Max series also starring Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, and Jennifer Holland. —Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for egotistical

• atheistical
• logistical
• sophistical
• statistical
• mystical