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
-
The adjectives used to describe vampire Lucy suggest monstrous selfishness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 May 2026
-
Our policies have been defined more by optimism and generosity than by selfishness and cynicism.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The dresser has a classic silhouette with minimalist details like tapered legs and oiled hardware, and the mirror doubles as a vanity.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
That lack of vanity becomes the greatest weapon of My Duchess.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Noun
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These experts suggested Trump showed signs of narcissism, sociopathic tendencies, and a fixation on the haunting legacy of his punishing father.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
20 May 2026
-
Brand narcissism was always a signal that something was off.—
Rebecca Brooks,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
The deepest reason for this near-universal futility is that most of us remain imprisoned by the delusions of the ego, suffering from alternating cravings and revulsions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
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This requires a different balancing of one's own ego, which in this context, is not self-confidence but the prioritizing of the collective outcome.—
Naira Velumyan,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The depth of her ambition was hard to reach, as was her self-absorption.—
Sara Wheeler,
Big Think,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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 22 May. 2026.
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