inner-directed

Definition of inner-directednext

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
  • A lot of tennis players are so egocentric.
    Patrick McEnroe, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
  • But research on egocentric bias shows that leaders vastly overestimate how much audiences care about the company's journey.
    Harrison Monarth, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • There are three stages to a typical narcissistic relationship, Sussman said.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
  • But on Team Reggie, there’s no ruthless Jack Donaghy, no narcissistic Jenna Maroney.
    Judy Berman, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The cub’s selfish decisions lead to the tree laying itself across a chasm to save its surrogate child.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
  • People forget that being an athlete is selfish.
    Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Such moments—subjective but hardly solipsistic—are few and far between.
    Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Helm is nothing if not solipsistic, narcissistic even.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Travel ball is very self-centered.
    Eric Sondheimer Columnist Follow, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Most of them are self-centered, thinking only of themselves.
    Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Yes, the characters can be frustratingly self-absorbed, but Hogan and Woyasz might summon up your sympathy for this pair that became parents too early and have never really gotten the hang of the job.
    Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
  • In Tim Burton’s breakthrough film, O’Hara played tragically hip Delia Deetz, the pretentious and self-absorbed stepmother of Winona Ryder’s Lydia.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • As Dylan plays a series of shows, he is also seen in various hotel rooms, cutting down journalists and others with a self-regarding wit.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The screenwriter, Nora Garrett, has achieved an amusingly florid Hollywood simulacrum—one that tilts into knowing parody—of an intensely self-regarding world.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Three hundred high school players gather at a remote facility to compete in ruthless trials where only one will emerge as the world’s greatest and most egoistic striker.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Inner-directed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inner-directed. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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