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
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
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Years after graduation, the harsh reality of the New York art scene sets in, and Willow’s selfishness becomes more and more apparent.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Are his words out of greed and selfishness or to better lives?—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2025
Noun
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The Eden's bathroom is placed on the opposite side of the home to the entrance and has a toilet, a vanity sink, and a walk-in shower, plus a little more storage space.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 June 2025
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Lean a framed print against the wall in the center of a wide vanity or on a shelf above the toilet.—
Dina Cheney,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2025
Noun
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He was always meant to be a cautionary tale and to show the dangers of narcissism.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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That narcissism, combined with a lack of understanding regarding the risks of the Titan, resulted in an unbending belief in his own creation.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
11 June 2025
Noun
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When egos are set aside, silos are broken, and people move as one — kids are found, hope is restored, and the system starts to change.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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The recent taco taunting has been a blow to his fragile ego that couldn’t go unanswered.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
23 June 2025
Noun
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When Your Greatest Strength Becomes Your Weakness Confidence is essential in leadership, but there's a fine line between self-assurance and self-absorption.—
Isabelita Castilho,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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His self-absorption, against the backdrop of such enormous loss, was particularly striking.—
Kevin Johnson,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel-gazing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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