as in introspection
examination of one's own thoughts and feelings
some self-observation might give you some insights into how others perceive you
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Recent Examples of self-observation
The purpose of this exercise is not to match your paradigm perfectly but to give you a thematic lens for self-observation.
—
Liz Tran, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Anyone who has tracked their daily steps or worn a glucose monitor can testify that self-observation works.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
Liz Tran, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Anyone who has tracked their daily steps or worn a glucose monitor can testify that self-observation works.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-observation
- introspection
- self-reflection
- self-examination
- soul-searching
- self-scrutiny
- contemplation
- self-contemplation
- self-questioning
Noun
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Those struggles also led to introspection by everyone involved.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Disco, Occasionally, and eclectic project that goes heavy on the disco ball introspection.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Islamabad is not yet willing to indulge in a bit of self-reflection.—
Mihir Sharma,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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The album’s volley of astute re-creations of this idea sometimes gets in the way of Styles’s attempt to relay sadness or dour self-reflection.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Yet her songs remain disarmingly human, meditating on desire, vulnerability, and self-examination.—
Marcus J. Moore,
Pitchfork,
5 Mar. 2026
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This 2-1 defeat is a blow and should prove a moment for self-examination for the club’s coaching staff and playing squad.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Throughout these years, Ma began to feel an increasing sense of remorse at his complicity in this system, which sparked deeper soul-searching around his identity as a Muslim, and what that meant within Chinese society.—
Rebecca Wright,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
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And for all the soul-searching and probing, Conrad is well aware that kink can lead to comedy—up to a point.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That may be too much heightened self-scrutiny.—
Bryan Price,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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In a foundational study, it was found that companies professing a strong belief in meritocracy were more likely to reward men over equally performing women because the belief in objectivity ironically reduces self-scrutiny in decisions, giving managers subconscious permission to act on stereotypes.—
Heather Price,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Noun
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The paradox that the lush and peaceful surroundings also harbored the violent history of enslavement offered visiting artists further nuance for contemplation.—
Amy Paige Condon,
AJC.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Somewhere in the next hour after the field is announced, there will be contemplation and whining about the specter of the NCAA growing its postseason field, most likely to 76 teams.—
Mac Engel
March 10,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After the eclipse wraps, the Sun doubles down on the compulsion toward self-contemplation in partnership with Lilith.—
Jennifer Culp,
Them,
27 Sep. 2024
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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
Noun
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With this news came a several-minute period of self-questioning.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
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But users can instruct it to be tentative, hesitant, self-questioning or even deliberately clumsy.—
Chris Reed,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-observation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-observation. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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