as in introspection
examination of one's own thoughts and feelings
she doesn't seem to see the difference between a reasonable amount of self-contemplation and total self-absorption
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Recent Examples of self-contemplation
After the eclipse wraps, the Sun doubles down on the compulsion toward self-contemplation in partnership with Lilith.
—
Jennifer Culp, Them, 27 Sep. 2024
Missing from the fair but important nonetheless is Hsiao Chin, the first and only post-war Chinese artist to convey Eastern philosophical ideas and the concepts of mindfulness and self-contemplation in the Western pictorial language of abstraction.
—Florence Tsai, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2023
Jennifer Culp, Them, 27 Sep. 2024
Missing from the fair but important nonetheless is Hsiao Chin, the first and only post-war Chinese artist to convey Eastern philosophical ideas and the concepts of mindfulness and self-contemplation in the Western pictorial language of abstraction.
—Florence Tsai, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-contemplation
Noun
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Not because this 2-2 draw at Sunderland provides cause for significant introspection.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Flora remembered his high school experience with a mix of introspection and relief.—
Evan Moore
November 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Both zeroed in on age-old scales and harmonies, extracted them from their usual contexts, and transformed them into objects of contemplation.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Still, this isn’t about contemplation or quiet reflection.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There are three invitations leaders can offer their direct reports: Play with the technology as a tool for self-observation.—
Michael Hudson,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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Anyone who has tracked their daily steps or worn a glucose monitor can testify that self-observation works.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes,
7 Oct. 2024
Noun
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With words infallibly falling short, Pritam mingled realism with a fragmentary style of narration that meshes together social encounters, violent episodes, vivid metaphors, disturbing dreams, memories, intimate self-reflections, and introspection on society.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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The book’s journey through the brain ends at the frontal pole, a region involved in self-reflection — thinking about thinking.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Mother’s turbulent self-examination is incited by the revelation of Sister Agnieszka’s pregnancy in the film’s first Act.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
27 Aug. 2025
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This disciplined self-examination is the foundation for refining skills and advancing toward mastery.—
Richard Menger MD MPA,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The scale of the Republican Party's triumph in 2024—taking the White House, flipping the Senate and maintaining control of the House—has sparked soul-searching within the Democratic Party over what went wrong, how to rebuild, and party leadership and direction.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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The Democratic soul-searching will continue in the midterm primaries for House and Senate seats, and into the 2028 presidential primary, as the party looks for new leaders who can win.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-contemplation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-contemplation. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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