inner-directed

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of inner-directed One is inner-directed, determined to build self-esteem. Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inner-directed
Adjective
  • The community organizer turned president turned socialite has never been great at hiding his egocentric ways.
    Grace Curley, Boston Herald, 21 July 2025
  • Bang is perfect for this kind of role, playing an imposing figure who can be both aloof and egocentric, and whose grand stature diminishes as the film progresses.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • In order to not be fooled by narcissistic kindness, Sarkis encourages people to view one-off good deeds in the context of someone's overall behavior.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Retired Chief of Detention Telisa White told The Charlotte Observer recently that McFadden is narcissistic and unprofessional.
    Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Some of it’s considerate and protective, some of it’s selfish.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Listening also means making choices that can feel selfish in the moment.
    Melissa Gonzalez, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The American academy has been far more used to a confessionalistic, even solipsistic style in its lyric poetry.
    Elaine L. Wang September 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • But he’s been shaken out of his solipsistic reverie.
    A.O. Scott, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Colletti played Chase Adams, a charming, yet self-centered, aspiring actor.
    Alexandra Schonfeld, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Robbie is a complicated man, at once incredibly compassionate and deeply self-centered, philosophical and brooding but also impulsive and hot-tempered.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Brilliant and brave, the poet and soldier was also entirely self-absorbed, turning the Adriatic city into his own personal manuscript.
    Ed Simon June 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
  • Is Huda self-absorbed, overdramatic, extremely volatile, overly obsessed with traditional gender roles, and impossible to please?
    Shannon Keating, Vulture, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • Redford said recent signs of a resurgence in student activism are welcome change over the 1980s, when many were self-involved and primarily concerned about making money.
    Hannah Parry Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The men at the film’s center — Paul and Carey — are hysterical and self-involved.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • While his supporters see a pragmatist trying to make the best of a bad decision, his many detractors dismiss him as egotistical and unable to see his failures.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Starring Oscar Isaac as the titular brilliant but egotistical scientist Victor, Frankenstein sees the doctor bring a creature (Elordi) to life with a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to both of their undoings.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inner-directed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inner-directed. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!