as in selfness
excessive interest in oneself
a singer-songwriter whose compositions are too often exercises in self-important navel-gazing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of navel-gazing
Equal to Tesfaye’s navel-gazing, Shults uses every trick in the music-video playbook to conjure a vivid, ultra-saturated but not quite realistic universe where the Weeknd is a brightly burning sun everyone revolves around.
—
Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 15 May 2025
Van Nistelrooy’s first three games brought a defeat, a victory and a draw; his fourth, on December 14, was a visit to Newcastle, who were navel-gazing after a damaging 4-2 defeat at Brentford.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
The Cavs are not, to borrow a phrase from former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, navel-gazing.
—Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
That deserves far more digital ink to be spilled than the usual navel-gazing about how iPhones are boring.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for navel-gazing
Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 15 May 2025
Van Nistelrooy’s first three games brought a defeat, a victory and a draw; his fourth, on December 14, was a visit to Newcastle, who were navel-gazing after a damaging 4-2 defeat at Brentford.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
The Cavs are not, to borrow a phrase from former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, navel-gazing.
—Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
That deserves far more digital ink to be spilled than the usual navel-gazing about how iPhones are boring.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for navel-gazing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navel-gazing
Noun
-
Our policies have been defined more by optimism and generosity than by selfishness and cynicism.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
Shooting the final sequence from Cassie’s point of view was a last-minute adjustment, which Levinson made the day of filming to emphasize Cassie’s narcissism and selfishness.—
Zoe Papelis,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Over the vanity hung a neon sign in curlicue magenta script.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Here there are a dual sink vanity, a roomy shower, and a soaking tub.—
James Alexander,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Noun
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Of course, there are many lovely actors who are curious and ask you questions about yourself and are normal, but a lot of them have been suffering from long-term main character energy and don’t have the magnetic personality to offset their narcissism.—
Ryan O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 May 2026
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The narcissism charge was especially baffling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In an era when youth sports can sometimes feel corrupted by money, pressure and adult ego, the Lee Corso Legacy Fund serves as a reminder of what sports are supposed to be about in the first place.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
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And today, as young fighters begin to be compared to him, there is no ego—only gratitude.—
Jorge Ebro
May 6,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Hard mode: in the endless cycle of desire, self-absorption, and suffering, seek ways to live with kindness and compassion.—
Charles Yu,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The depth of her ambition was hard to reach, as was her self-absorption.—
Sara Wheeler,
Big Think,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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However, visibility motivation is not limited to self-involvement.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel-gazing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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