self-absorbed

adjective

self-ab·​sorbed ˌself-əb-ˈsȯrbd How to pronounce self-absorbed (audio)
-ˈzȯrbd
: absorbed in one's own thoughts, activities, or interests

Examples of self-absorbed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Each episode explores the backstory of a different family member, dropping clues and red herrings aplenty on what what is going on with Joy and Stan (Sam Neill) and why their adult children (Jake Lacy, Alison Brie, Conor Merrigan Turner and Essie Randles) are so friggin’ self-absorbed and entitled. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 Speaking to a couple of hundred people gathered outside a historic opera house in Newberry, Haley on Saturday portrayed Trump as an erratic and self-absorbed figure not focused on the American people. Michelle L. Price, arkansasonline.com, 11 Feb. 2024 But the multibillion-dollar business that’s grown from their work, known as the creator economy, has often been laughed off as silly or self-absorbed, even as millions of Americans have skipped traditional career paths and fought to achieve top creators’ fame and financial success. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2023 In short order and in this bucolic setting, Leon proves to be an irritable jerk: self-absorbed, painfully insecure, perpetually annoyed, snobbish, and at times reflexively cruel. Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 14 July 2023 However, these terms are often used with a note of derision, applied to someone who is self-absorbed. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 2 June 2023 My sibling is loving, kind and generous — as well as self-absorbed. Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 10 May 2023 Those today with the best levels of executive presence are not self-absorbed. Adrian Gostick, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 Double-dealing, self-absorbed and relentlessly ambitious, the most prominent of them were usually appalling. Catherine Ostler, WSJ, 24 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-absorbed.' 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

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-absorbed was in 1796

Dictionary Entries Near self-absorbed

Cite this Entry

“Self-absorbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-absorbed. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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