narcissistic

adjective

nar·​cis·​sis·​tic ˌnär-sə-ˈsi-stik 

: of, relating to, or characterized by narcissism: such as

a

: extremely self-centered with an exaggerated sense of self-importance : marked by or characteristic of excessive admiration of or infatuation with oneself

a narcissistic personality

He was a very narcissistic man, not too concerned with the world.

—Oliver Sacks

But when a mother's narcissistic needs are so great that she cannot relate to her child as he really is, she loves her child as a self-object—that is, as someone put on this earth to meet her needs.

—Sue Erikson Bloland

see also narcissistic personality disorder

b

: displaying or marked by excessive concern with one's own physical appearance

… she describes the bind created for women by the judgment that a woman preoccupied with her looks is narcissistic and a woman who is not is unfeminine.

—Carol Gilligan

Our narcissistic culture has turned us into a nation of body-image "junkies" using everything in our power to carve, reshape, remold, and recast our bodies' natural shapes and processes so that they are better fitted to our desires.

—Andrew Kimbrell

Synonyms of narcissistic

• selfish

Examples of narcissistic in a Sentence

trying to raise the social consciousness of the normally narcissistic Hollywood community

Recent Examples on the Web

James is every ambitious director threatening to topple this town in a narcissistic quest to create the ultimate special effects epic. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

The decisions made by the narcissistic leader will primarily be to their benefit. — Gregory Stebbins, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

But the show still makes its point that the world of this play has narcissistic aggressors and flailing victims, and those who fall into both of those categories. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026

Who hasn’t nodded along in recognition while listening to a story about a nightmare roommate, or had a narcissistic relative who makes everything about himself? — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

narciss(ism) + -istic

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing narcissistic

• narcissistic personality disorder

Rhymes for narcissistic

• agonistic
• altruistic
• animistic
• aphoristic
• atheistic
• atomistic
• cabalistic
• calvinistic
• chauvinistic
• dualistic
• egoistic
• egotistic

Medical Definition

narcissistic

adjective

nar·​cis·​sis·​tic ˌnär-sə-ˈsis-tik 

: of, relating to, or characterized by narcissism or narcissistic personality disorder

narcissistically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb