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egocentric

adjective
ego·​cen·​tric | \ ˌē-gō-ˈsen-trik also ˌe- How to pronounce egocentric (audio) \

Definition of egocentric

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : concerned with the individual rather than society
2 : taking the ego as the starting point in philosophy
3a : limited in outlook or concern to one's own activities or needs
b : self-centered, selfish

egocentric

noun
plural egocentrics

Definition of egocentric (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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
Other Words from egocentric Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about egocentric

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Other Words from egocentric

Adjective

egocentrically \ ˌē-​gō-​ˈsen-​tri-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce egocentrically (audio) \ adverb
egocentricity \ ˌē-​gō-​ˌsen-​ˈtri-​sə-​tē How to pronounce egocentricity (audio) \ noun
egocentrism \ ˌē-​gō-​ˈsen-​ˌtri-​zəm How to pronounce egocentrism (audio) \ noun

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 this, the special extends the egocentric logic evinced by Aziz Ansari in his recent Netflix special. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Dave Chappelle Doubles Down," 28 Aug. 2019 An egocentric Austrian mountaineer gradually learns selflessness from the young Dalai Lama. — Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019 The hippocampus is the region where these egocentric, episodic memories are made. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Collating memories of what happened based on where it happened," 25 Nov. 2018 And, at least in rats, those egocentric viewpoints get encoded into long term memories. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Collating memories of what happened based on where it happened," 25 Nov. 2018 Contrasting with her debut, her writing takes on a less egocentric approach; the lyrics share the experiences of her family, friends, and those around her. — Ryan Cahill, Teen Vogue, "Empress Of's Second Album "Us" Is a Dreamy Celebration of Her Family, Friends, and Community," 22 Oct. 2018 The results largely align with egocentric bias, our ability to overestimate how much others — God included — are just like us, authors said. — Josh Hafner, USA TODAY, "What's God look like? Depends on your politics and race, study finds," 12 June 2018 People are also egocentric in their depictions: Volunteers who were older, more attractive, and black saw God as older, more attractive, and more black, respectively. — Matthew Hutson, Science | AAAS, "What does God look like? Look in the mirror," 12 June 2018 Whatever happened to the egocentric man that was supposed to upset the balance of the Gunners dressing room? — SI.com, "6 of the Best Moments From a Potentially Decisive Weekend of Premier League Action," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'egocentric.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of egocentric

Adjective

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1901, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for egocentric

egocentric

adjective
How to pronounce egocentric (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of egocentric

: caring too much about yourself and not about other people

See the full definition for egocentric in the English Language Learners Dictionary

egocentric

adjective
ego·​cen·​tric | \ ˌē-gō-ˈsen-trik also ˌeg-ō- How to pronounce egocentric (audio) \

Medical Definition of egocentric

 (Entry 1 of 2)

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

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