Egotisms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Characteristic preoccupation with oneself and one's own interests; excessive, self-centered talk or behavior; an inflated sense of self-importance that overshadows others' contributions
2. A tendency to express one's own opinions and experiences excessively; a focus on one’s personal achievements and thoughts over communal or shared topics; an overestimation of one’s own significance in social contexts
3. The act of prioritizing self-interest and self-promotion in communication; the inclination to dominate conversations with personal anecdotes; a grandiose perception of one's own role and impact in various situations

Etymology: "Egotisms" is simply the plural of "egotism," so the noun tracks back to "ego," the Latin word for "I," which entered English as a technical term in psychology. "Egotism" itself is a formation from that root with the suffix "-ism," used for a doctrine, habit or condition. Its earliest English uses were tied to the sense of talking about oneself too often, the vanity that makes a speaker keep returning to "I." The word's meaning has drifted over time. In older usage it could describe a habit of self-reference in speech or writing, while the modern sense leans toward a broader pattern of self-absorption that pushes others aside. Because "egotism" is a plain English coinage built on a Latin pronoun, its history is short and transparent rather than dramatic, and the plural simply counts separate instances or types of that self-focus.

Synonyms: selfishness, narcissism

Antonyms: selflessness, altruism