SELF-ABSORPTION Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

self-absorption

noun

ˌself-əb-ˈsȯrp-shən

as in selfness

excessive interest in oneself the novel's major characters all suffer from self-absorption, and they are every bit as insufferable as such people are in real life

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 self-absorption But self-awareness doesn’t obviate self-absorption. —

Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026 Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas play sisters, raised in a sprawling yet cozy house that has been in the family for years; when their mother dies, they’re forced to reckon with the selfishness and self-absorption of their long estranged filmmaker father (Stellan Skarsgård). —

Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 3 Dec. 2025 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 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 See All Example Sentences for self-absorption

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-absorption

Noun

This climactic collision is woven from several minor ethical tugs-of-war that rest on each character exhibiting both selfishness and altruism in various scenes, until their complicated humanity is placed under a harsh spotlight.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 21 Feb. 2026
Jokic plays below the rim, accents the margins, makes the right play, everything that runs contrary to the selfishness rewarded in this exhibition.

— Troy Renck, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026