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
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
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
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
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
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Approach LinkedIn DMs with service instead of selfishness, so sales become a natural byproduct of connection.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Batemen gets a few moving monologues, but Vince’s heavier dose of morbid witticisms aren’t enough to overcome his pervasive selfishness and abominable behavior (nor is a late-arriving revelation about his past).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There was no vanity in her, which is what Fran McDormand had.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
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The homeowner’s suite, comprising a large bedroom, a sitting/dressing room, lots of closet space, and a bathroom with marble vanities, spills onto a deck overlooking the yard.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bad actors are counting on us to tear each other apart—to fall for the narcissism of small differences, to turn on our allies instead of our oppressors.—
Andrew Weinstein,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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This is a warmonger that is basing his policy decisions around the region on narcissism and political ambitions that don't go beyond staying in power for no more than one month.—
Leila Fadel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Thanks to his clever punchlines that carry zero sting, the biggest names in TV can leave the ceremony with unbruised egos.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Maybe the symptoms of his cognitive decline are inextricable from what seemed to you to be his general self-absorption and thoughtlessness.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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Frost’s well is a modern version of Narcissus’ pool, and his poem is a meditation on self-absorption and its limits.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In terms that viewers of the original series might understand, Esmeralda falls somewhere between the tyranny of Michael Scott, the absurdity of Dwight Schrute, and the self-involvement of Kelly Kapoor with a particular charisma that only Impacciatore could pull off.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
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She’s played by an A-list celebrity — Cate Blanchett — operating in a city renowned for its self-involvement and privilege.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel-gazing. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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