egoistisch

selfish, egotistical

adjective ay-go-IS-tish Rare

Origin: from Latin ego (I)

Usage Note

Egoistisch describes behaviour or character driven primarily by self-interest with little regard for others. It is the standard adjective from Egoismus (egoism) and is somewhat more formal than the colloquial selbstsüchtig.

Examples

"Es war egoistisch von ihm, den letzten Platz für sich zu beanspruchen."

Natural Translation

It was selfish of him to claim the last seat for himself.

Literal Translation

It was selfish of him to claim the last spot for himself.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Word Order: The Verb Rules That Trip You Up

German word order comes down to three verb-position rules: the verb is second in main clauses, last after weil and dass, and time comes before place.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative or Dative?

Use accusative for movement into a place (wohin?) and dative for a fixed location (wo?). Master all nine German two-way prepositions with one simple test.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Separable Verbs: When the Prefix Splits

German separable verbs split in two: the verb stays near the front and the prefix flies to the end. Learn the stress test and where every piece goes.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Umlauts & ß: Sounds and Typing

Pronounce ä, ö, ü with the front-tongue, rounded-lips rule, master the ß vs ss spelling, and type every German umlaut on Mac, Windows, and phone.

June 5, 2026 6 min read