Word of the Day

: May 11, 2010

navel-gazing

noun NAY-vul-GAY-zing

What It Means

: useless or excessive self-contemplation

navel-gazing in Context

Instead of more of the feel-good lyrics and beats that launched her to stardom, the songs on the diva’s sophomore release border on tedious philosophizing and navel-gazing.

Did You Know?

If you are scratching your head over something, then you are probably in a state of puzzled contemplation. But if you are staring at your navel, you could either be indulging in some useless self-contemplation or in a state of deep meditation. If the latter, the technical term for your activity would be "omphaloskepsis," which is a form of meditation that has been practiced by mystics for centuries. Navel-gazing is a pop form of omphaloskepsis that is devoid of any serious meditative value. The word has been used more or less disparagingly since its first appearance in 1963.