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egoism - 4 dictionary results

e⋅go⋅ism

  [ee-goh-iz-uhm, eg-oh-]
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–noun
1. the habit of valuing everything only in reference to one's personal interest; selfishness (opposed to altruism ).
2. egotism or conceit.
3. Ethics. the view that morality ultimately rests on self-interest.
Origin:
1775–85; < F égoïsme. See ego, -ism

Synonyms:
1. See egotism.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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e·go·ism   (ē'gō-ĭz'əm, ěg'ō-)   
n.  
    1. The ethical doctrine that morality has its foundations in self-interest.
    2. The ethical belief that self-interest is the just and proper motive for all human conduct.
  2. Excessive preoccupation with one's own well-being and interests, usually accompanied by an inflated sense of self-importance.
  3. Egotism; conceit. See Synonyms at conceit.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Egoism

E"go*ism\, n. [F. ['e]go["i]sme, fr. L. -ego I. See I, and cf. Egotism.]

1. (Philos.) The doctrine of certain extreme adherents or disciples of Descartes and Johann Gottlieb Fichte, which finds all the elements of knowledge in the ego and the relations which it implies or provides for.

2. Excessive love and thought of self; the habit of regarding one's self as the center of every interest; selfishness; -- opposed to altruism.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : egoism
Spanish: egoísmo,
German: der Egoismus,
Japanese: 利己主義
More Translations »

Main Entry: ego·ism
Pronunciation: 'E-g&-"wiz-&m also 'eg-&-
Function: noun
1 a : a doctrine that individual self-interestis the actual motive of all conscious action b : a doctrine that individual self-interest is the valid end of all actions
2 : excessive concern for oneself withoutexaggerated feelings of self-importance —compare EGOTISM —ego·ist /-w&st/ noun —ego·is·tic /"E-g&-'wis-tik also "eg-&-/ also ego·is·ti·cal /-ti-k&l/ adjective —ego·is·ti·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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