Definition of "egoism" []

• The ethical doctrine that morality has its foundations in self-interest. (noun)
• The ethical belief that self-interest is the just and proper motive for all human conduct. (noun)
• Excessive preoccupation with one's own well-being and interests, usually accompanied by an inflated sense of self-importance. (noun)
• Egotism; conceit. See Synonyms at conceit. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The triumph of Nietzschean philosophical egoism is why people more and more start sentences saying "I feel that ...." instead of "I think that ...""
• "People tend to cheat more if their egoism is very high or very low."
• "To explain what he meant by 'moral Communism' Matsuoko cited his own family, but said the Japanese concept of moral Communism had been overwhelmed by liberalism, individualism and egoism from the West."