navel-gazing

noun

navel-gaz·​ing ˈnā-vəl-ˈgā-ziŋ How to pronounce navel-gazing (audio)
: useless or excessive self-contemplation

Examples of navel-gazing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It should be noted that there was plenty of navel-gazing and hand-wringing by the fashion press when the Pharrell news broke, but in a way, his appointment is simply the evolution of a narrative going back 100 years or more. Max Berlinger, Robb Report, 13 Aug. 2023 To debate grand strategy is to indulge in navel-gazing while the world burns. Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 13 Apr. 2020 Claims that a political gerontocracy is somehow undermining American democracy — the theme of so much political navel-gazing — simply don’t hold water. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023 Books More navel-gazing, please. Jessica Ferri, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'navel-gazing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of navel-gazing was in 1922

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near navel-gazing

Cite this Entry

“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/navel-gazing. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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