Meaning & use
egoism
The ethical view that a person's actions should be guided primarily by self-interest, or a general tendency to act that way.
See it in a sentence
The philosopher argued that ethical egoism justifies any action that benefits the person performing it.
Critics claimed his constant egoism made him ignore how his choices affected his coworkers.
A note on using this word
Egoism refers to self-interest as a guiding principle, whereas egotism describes excessive vanity; the two words are often confused.
Words with a similar meaning
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