egoism

C1 Topic:Ethics & Social Judgment

US /ˈiːɡoʊˌɪzəm/ UK /ˈiːɡəʊɪzəm/ See IPA manual

Freq #60925

Meanings

1

noun
the practice of giving one's own interests and welfare priority over those of others

His refusal to help anyone unless he benefited revealed a narrow egoism.
2

noun
the ethical theory that self-interest is the basis or proper goal of moral action

The seminar compared ethical egoism with theories based on duty and altruism.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the practice of giving... self-interestegocentrismselfishness

2 noun · the ethical theory that... ethical egoism

Opposites

altruism selflessness

Word family

Derived forms egoistegoisticegoisticalpanegoism

Related forms egocentrismnarcissismaltruism

Etymology

Borrowed from French egoisme, from New Latin egoismus, ultimately from Latin ego ("I") + -ism. The word developed both an everyday sense of self-centered concern and a technical philosophical sense in which self-interest grounds moral choice.

Topics

Ethics & Social Judgment

External links

# egoism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈiːɡoʊˌɪzəm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈiːɡəʊɪzəm/
**Frequency rank:** 60925

## Meanings
1. the practice of giving one's own interests and welfare priority over those of others
2. the ethical theory that self-interest is the basis or proper goal of moral action

## Examples
- His refusal to help anyone unless he benefited revealed a narrow egoism.
- The seminar compared ethical egoism with theories based on duty and altruism.

## Synonyms
- self-interest
- egocentrism
- selfishness

## Antonyms
- altruism
- selflessness

## Derived Forms
- egoist
- egoistic
- egoistical
- panegoism

## Related Forms
- egocentrism
- narcissism
- altruism

## Etymology
Borrowed from French egoisme, from New Latin egoismus, ultimately from Latin ego ("I") + -ism. The word developed both an everyday sense of self-centered concern and a technical philosophical sense in which self-interest grounds moral choice.

## Topics
- Ethics & Social Judgment

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