Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The unnecessarily frequent use of the pronoun he by a writer, especially in reference to himself in the third person; also, an instance of this use.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The practice of referring to oneself in the
third person .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Latin ille ("that man; he") + -ism (modelled on egoism).
Support
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Examples
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It is effectively the Baseball Hall of Fame's pause before the steroid storm really hits, so let's all sit back and chuckle at Rickey Henderson's illeism and malapropisms and magnificent sense of self.
bilby commented on the word illeism
One is pleased that illeism has been added to one's list.
April 6, 2008
pterodactyl commented on the word illeism
Here in the US, our two most famous illeists are probably Bob Dole and Elmo. I think that they're a perfect match, and I'd love to see them do a comedy film together. You could call it "Elmo loves you, Bob Dole!"
Or "Bob Dole loves you, Elmo!"
April 6, 2008
kostya commented on the word illeism
reference to oneself by use of the third person.
February 12, 2009
plethora commented on the word illeism
See also jmjarmstrong.
February 12, 2009