Synonyms of self-absorption

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

• selfness
• selfishness
• vanity
• narcissism
• ego
• self-centeredness
• pridefulness
• egocentricity
• egoism
• egocentrism
• self-involvement
• egotism
• self-preoccupation
• egomania
• navel-gazing
• self-interest
• self-concern
• smugness
• pride
• self-regard
• complacency
• vainness
• self-satisfaction
• self-admiration
• self-love
• conceitedness
• vainglory
• self-conceit
• self-importance
• pomposity
• self-sufficiency
• self-respect
• pompousness
• self-indulgence
• complacence
• conceit
• self-glorification
• vaingloriousness
• self-esteem
• self-contentment
• self-content
• self-assumption
• self-consequence
• self-partiality

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• selflessness
• generosity
• unselfishness
• altruism
• magnanimity
• detachment
• objectivity
• neutrality
• self-sacrifice
• fairness
• self-forgetfulness
• impartiality
• disinterestedness
• self-abandonment
• self-flagellation
• self-annihilation
• self-immolation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of self-absorption

For centuries, the story functioned as a moral warning against vanity and self-absorption. — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 25 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