narcissism

noun

nar·​cis·​sism ˈnär-sə-ˌsi-zəm 

1

: egoism, egocentrism

… up until my late 30's I lived in a state of utterly monstrous narcissism and self-absorption …

—Frank Conroy

2

: narcissistic personality disorder

One of the premier diagnoses of our times, narcissism is a reflection not only of an apparent trend in mental illness but also of the strains and distortions in the lives of essentially healthy people.

—Robert Karen

3

: love of or sexual desire of one's own body

Synonyms of narcissism

• selfness
• selfishness
• vanity
• ego
• egocentrism
• egocentricity
• egomania
• self-absorption
• egoism

Examples of narcissism in a Sentence

in his narcissism, he just assumed that everyone else wanted to hear the tiny details of his day

Recent Examples on the Web

When narcissism occupies the state, cruelty becomes policy without ever being named as such. —Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026

He’s always been driven by narcissism. —Tara Suter, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2026

Just as important is the narcissism. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2026

Urban, best known for playing the anti-hero Billy Butcher in Prime Video’s The Boys, described his character as a man consumed by narcissism and revenge. —Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

narcissus + -ism; (sense 2) in part after German Narcismus (now Narzismus)

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for narcissism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Kids Definition

narcissism

noun

nar·​cis·​sism ˈnär-sə-ˌsiz-əm 

: excessive love and admiration for oneself and especially one's own appearance

narcissist

-sist 

noun

narcissistic

ˌnär-sə-ˈsis-tik 

adjective

Medical Definition

narcissism

noun

nar·​cis·​sism ˈnär-sə-ˌsiz-əm 

1

: narcissistic personality disorder

2

: love of or sexual desire for one's own body

3

: the state or stage of development in psychoanalytic theory in which there is considerable erotic interest in one's own body and ego and which in abnormal forms persists through fixation or reappears through regression