as in selfness
excessive interest in oneself
a singer-songwriter whose compositions are too often exercises in self-important navel-gazing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 navel-gazing
Beyond the lifeboat of major film festivals, which still assist a handful of buzzy international and independent films in their treacherous journey to release, such entities as the self-congratulatory, navel-gazing Oscars have seemingly abandoned the inclusion of riskier, daring films.
—
Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
Ortberg urged staff to focus on beating its French planemaker competitor Airbus instead of navel-gazing at its own issues.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024
In the end, this leads to a novel that might be Murakami’s most navel-gazing work, and one that has the unmistakable feel of a coda.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
If the idea of a deep dive into the pop-culture Zeitgeist of Obama’s presidency feels like an exhausting amount of navel-gazing, well, nothing could be more true to the spirit of the time.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for navel-gazing
Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
Ortberg urged staff to focus on beating its French planemaker competitor Airbus instead of navel-gazing at its own issues.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024
In the end, this leads to a novel that might be Murakami’s most navel-gazing work, and one that has the unmistakable feel of a coda.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
If the idea of a deep dive into the pop-culture Zeitgeist of Obama’s presidency feels like an exhausting amount of navel-gazing, well, nothing could be more true to the spirit of the time.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for navel-gazing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navel-gazing
Noun
-
Unfortunately, people can gravitate more toward selfishness, self-centeredness and being mean spirited.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
-
And still, in an era where selfishness can be an easy path to take, Branch had already decommitted once and never planned on doing it again.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Even the smallest guest room, at 516 square feet, provides guests with ample space to spread out, with double vanities and a deep soaking tub in the bathroom.—
Susmita Baral,
Travel + Leisure,
7 June 2025
-
Perfect for a vanity, living room, or anywhere that could use additional seating, this upholstered throne has earned over 1,000 five-star reviews on Amazon for its softness, back support and ease of assembly.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
These images were created by blending the faces of real people who had scored very high or very low on traits like psychopathy, narcissism, or agreeableness.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
-
Here’s my top 10 favorite examples of show biz narcissism (at least on screen).—
Howard Homonoff,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
When leaders tune in without ego, teams feel safe, seen and energized.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
He was hired as a guy to document the fruition of Stockton’s dream from the start of the whole thing, which tells you the kind of ego that Stockton had.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
His self-absorption, against the backdrop of such enormous loss, was particularly striking.—
Kevin Johnson,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
-
But, sometimes, accomplishment and self-absorption can go together.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The conceit and self-involvement of Isabella’s brother John is also dispatched effectively, not with aphorism but with his own words.—
Adelle Waldman,
New Yorker,
31 May 2025
-
But when we’re made to watch Tesfaye sing it in its entirety in an unbroken close-up while crying at the beauty of his own music, the introspection turns to simple self-involvement.—
Charles Bramesco,
IndieWire,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel-gazing. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share