What does egomaniac mean?
An egomaniac is a person who is excessively and obsessively preoccupied with themselves — their own importance, achievements, and image — to a degree that strikes others as irrational or pathological. The word combines 'ego', the Latin word for 'I', with 'maniac', conveying a sense of near-insanity driven by self-absorption. It is always pejorative and typically used to criticise public figures such as politicians, executives, celebrities, or tyrannical bosses whose behaviour suggests they believe the world revolves around them. In everyday conversation it is often applied somewhat hyperbolically ('he's a total egomaniac about his cooking'), while in more serious commentary it describes genuine grandiosity. The derived adjective 'egomaniacal' describes behaviour characteristic of such a person. The term overlaps with 'narcissist', which has a specific clinical meaning, and with 'megalomaniac', which emphasises obsession with power; egomaniac remains the broader, more colloquial label for runaway self-importance.
nounA person who is obsessively self-absorbed and preoccupied with their own importance, often to an irrational or pathological degree.
- A person obsessively preoccupied with themselves and their own importance, often irrationally or pathologically so.
"The director was such an egomaniac that he insisted every review of the film mention his name first."
"Critics dismissed the tycoon as a raving egomaniac who surrounded himself with people who never disagreed with him."
"She wasn't vain, exactly — but her constant need to be the centre of attention made colleagues wonder if she was a bit of an egomaniac."
Standard plural; used when referring to multiple such individuals.
"History offers no shortage of egomaniacs who mistook their own reflection for destiny."
The 'ego' in egomaniac is Latin for simply 'I' — so an egomaniac is literally someone whose entire world begins and ends with the word 'I'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of egomaniac
Egomaniac was formed in English in the 19th century from 'ego', Latin for 'I', combined with 'maniac', itself derived from Greek 'mania' meaning madness or frenzy. The compound emerged during the Victorian era alongside related coinages like 'egomania' (the condition itself) and 'egotism'. Its roots connect it to a wider family of words built on 'ego', including 'egotist', 'egoist', and the psychoanalytic sense of the ego popularised by Freud.
Related word forms
How egomaniac is actually used
Informal to mildly formal in tone; always derogatory. It carries a hyperbolic, often humorous charge in casual speech, but can also be used seriously in psychological or critical writing. Stronger than 'egotist' and less clinical than 'narcissist'.
Easily confused with egomaniac
A megalomaniac is obsessed with power and grandiose plans for control, while an egomaniac is simply consumed by thoughts of themselves and their own importance.
A narcissist has a clinical personality pattern involving need for admiration and lack of empathy, while egomaniac is a looser, informal term for extreme self-absorption.