This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Thursday, April 16, 2026 (40 Down). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Thursday puzzles often have a trick, such as a rebus (several letters in one square) or answers that bend the rules.
Answer length: 3 squares
First letter
E _ _
Show the answer
About the answer
EGO as a word: The self, especially with a sense of self-importance; A person's self-esteem and opinion of themselves.
EGO has been an answer 13 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since November 17, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
- It's mine, all mine!
- Freudian "I"
- "S.N.L." alum Nwodim
- Sense of self
- Alter ___ (secondary identity)
- Mediator between the id and the ideal, in Freudian psychology
- Freudian origin of defense mechanisms
- A big one might be challenging to work with
- One of the "six enemies of the mind," in Hinduism
- That's a me problem
- A narcissist has a big one
More clues from this puzzle
- Reroute (31 Down)
- Something a reality show lacks (32 Down)
- Igneous rock that makes up most of Venus's surface (33 Down)
- Be against, in a way (38 Down)
- Planned (41 Down)
- Officially give (42 Down)
- Tool with coarse teeth (43 Down)
- "It's a ___!" (44 Down)
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