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
Frank Conroy2
: 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
Robert Karen3
: love of or sexual desire of one's own body
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
In parenting and co-parenting relationships, narcissism may look like emotional invalidation or using guilt and manipulation to control behavior, McGovern adds.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 15 May 2025
These findings suggest that while some dark triad cues may subtly show in facial appearance—particularly narcissism—the connection isn't consistent across traits or genders.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Our research focuses on children with above-average narcissism levels because narcissistic personality disorder is usually not formally diagnosed before adulthood.
—Eddie Brummelman, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2025
The level of cartoonish selfishness and narcissism these late-capitalistic nightmares are granted here, however, starts to tip into a level that pitches everything into omnishambles territory.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narcissism
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
wendy Wisner, Parents, 15 May 2025
These findings suggest that while some dark triad cues may subtly show in facial appearance—particularly narcissism—the connection isn't consistent across traits or genders.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Our research focuses on children with above-average narcissism levels because narcissistic personality disorder is usually not formally diagnosed before adulthood.
—Eddie Brummelman, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2025
The level of cartoonish selfishness and narcissism these late-capitalistic nightmares are granted here, however, starts to tip into a level that pitches everything into omnishambles territory.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narcissism
Cite this Entry
“Narcissism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcissism. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
narcissism
noun
nar·cis·sism
ˈnär-sə-ˌsiz-əm
: excessive love and admiration for oneself and especially one's own appearance
Medical Definition
narcissism
noun
nar·cis·sism
ˈnär-sə-ˌsiz-əm
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share