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

• 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

Season two was about Baby Billy reconciling his narcissism and the sacrificing of his child. —Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025

Those most skeptical of climate change scored higher on scales associated with narcissism (self-importance), Machiavellianism (manipulativeness), and psychopathy (callousness). —Phil De Luna, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

This interview explores betrayal, reclamation, dementia, alcoholism, narcissism, the theme of bad mother/bad daughter, and so much more. —Memoir Nation june 30, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025

Having been sober for many decades herself, Bev recognizes the narcissism of addiction, the way addicts have a tendency to put themselves at the center of the universe. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025

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