What is the Difference Between Egoistic and Egotistic

The main difference between egoistic and egotistic is that the adjective egoistic describes people who put their own interests and needs before those of others, while the adjective egotistic describes people who have an exaggerated sense of self-importance.

The adjective egoistic is derived from the noun egoism, which refers to several theories that are based on the concept of self-interest. Therefore, egoistic people are those who are only concerned about themselves and their own needs. However, it’s important to note that this meaning of egoistic is not well-known or common in the present context. Most people use the two words egoistic and egotistic interchangeably. Most dictionaries also list them as synonyms.

Key Areas Covered

1. What Does Egoistic Mean
     – Definition, Meaning, Usage
2. What Does Egotistic Mean
     – Definition, Meaning, Usage
3. What is the Relationship Between Egoistic and Egotistic
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Egoistic and Egotistic
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Egoistic, Egotistic, Egoism, Egotism

What Does Egoistic Mean

Egoistic is an adjective that can describe egoists. An egoist is a believer in egoism, which is an ethical theory that considers self-interest as the foundation of morality. There are various forms of egoism as rational egoism, ethical egoism, and psychological egoism. Rational egoism is the doctrine that states an action is rational if it maximizes one’s self-interest. Ethical egoism, on the other hand, is a doctrine that states individuals ought to do what is in their self-interest. Moreover, psychological egoism is a doctrine that states individuals are always motivated by self-interest.

According to all the above doctrines, self-interest is at the foundation of egoism. In other words, egoism is a kind of self-ism. Therefore, egoists, who are believers in egoism, are only concerned about themselves and their own needs. They are self-centred and self-absorbed. Moreover, this kind of people are the opposite of altruistic and selfless people.

What Does Egotistic Mean

Egotistic refers to the state of being excessively conceited or absorbed in oneself. If someone believes he or she is the most talented, charming, intelligent person on earth, then you can describe him or her as egotistic. This is because egotistic people have an exaggerated sense of self-importance.

Furthermore, the adjective egotistic is associated with the noun egotism. Also, excessive use of the first person singular personal pronoun and the practice of talking about oneself too much are characteristic features of egotism.

Relationship Between Egoistic and Egotistic

Most people use the two adjectives egoistic and egotistic as synonyms. In fact, this practice is not incorrect as some dictionaries also list them as the same word. In fact, usage notes of Lexico.com state that “around 90 percent of the citations for egoism in the Oxford English Corpus are for the meaning’ excessive conceit’”.

However, if we look at their original meanings (the meanings related to egoism and egotism), it is possible for a person to be egoistic without being egotistic, and to be egotistic without being egoistic.

Difference Between Egoistic and Egotistic

Definition

Egoistic is an adjective that describes people who put their own interests and needs before those of others, while egotistic is an adjective that describes people who have an exaggerated sense of self-importance.

Egoism vs. Egotism

The adjective egoistic is associated with egoist, which emphasize on self-interest, whereas the adjective egotism is associated with egotism, which is the state of being excessively conceited or absorbed in oneself.

Conclusion

The main difference between egoistic and egotistic is that the adjective egoistic describes people who put their own interests and needs before those of others, while the adjective egotistic describes people who have an exaggerated sense of self-importance. However, it is possible to use these words interchangeably, and even most dictionaries list them as the same: excessive conceit.

Reference:

1. “Egoism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Mar. 2020, Available here.
2. “Egotism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Mar. 2020, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Photo of Woman Looking at the Mirror” (CC0) via Pexels
2. “Myself” (Public Domain) via PublicDomainPictures.net