introspective
adjective
in·tro·spec·tive
ˌin-trə-ˈspek-tiv 
: characterized by examination of one's own thoughts and feelings : thoughtfully reflective : employing, marked by, or tending to introspection
As a student, he was very quiet and introspective.
… encouraging a balance between the fast, upbeat songs and a band's more introspective side.—
David T. Lindsay
David T. LindsayThere's an interesting literature that suggests that when people are sad, they tend to pay attention to themselves. They become withdrawn and introspective and very aware of their body and their mind and not very aware of the external world.—Peter Salovey
Peter Salovey
introspectively
adverb
This whole episode set me thinking introspectively, and led me gradually but imperatively to self-analysis—not of powers, but of motives.
—Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
introspectiveness
noun
Introversion is too often considered a sign of weakness when it should instead be an indication of strength, and associated with thoughtfulness, introspectiveness and independence.
—Jasmine Tatah
Jasmine Tatah
Examples of introspective in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her dance-pop gems are simultaneously club-ready and packed with introspective lines about womanhood.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025
The Benefits of Tackling Fear in Leadership The results of Smith’s deep, introspective approach to executive image and success extend far beyond poise under pressure.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
To really understand the magnitude of this moment, let’s backtrack — the taskmaster planet first entered Pisces in March 2023, submerging the collective into quite the introspective season.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
The author, Dante Alighieri, born in Florence in 1265, is also its leading character—not a warrior as in the Homeric epics or their Latin successor, Virgil’s Aeneid, but, rather, a poet, a flawed and introspective man whose fall into despair sets the drama in motion.
—Claudia Roth Pierpont, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
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Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025
The Benefits of Tackling Fear in Leadership The results of Smith’s deep, introspective approach to executive image and success extend far beyond poise under pressure.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
To really understand the magnitude of this moment, let’s backtrack — the taskmaster planet first entered Pisces in March 2023, submerging the collective into quite the introspective season.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
The author, Dante Alighieri, born in Florence in 1265, is also its leading character—not a warrior as in the Homeric epics or their Latin successor, Virgil’s Aeneid, but, rather, a poet, a flawed and introspective man whose fall into despair sets the drama in motion.
—Claudia Roth Pierpont, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for introspective
Cite this Entry
“Introspective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/introspective. Accessed 14 Dec. 2025.
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