as in introspection
examination of one's own thoughts and feelings
some self-observation might give you some insights into how others perceive you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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-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
-
As a ritual romanticized for generations as one of the most significant events of a person’s life, the modern wedding tends to provoke a nebulous kind of introspection separating it from its most notable counterparts.—
Bobby Finger
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
This brand of builder has a high tolerance for risk and isn’t afraid to list having empathy or self-introspection as vulnerabilities.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Miraval has long encouraged guests to limit or even forego their use of digital devices as a way of enhancing awareness of one’s surroundings and allowing moments for self-reflection and personal growth.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
3 June 2026
-
Opportunities for self-reflection abound across the summer calendar.—
Kayla Samoy,
Chicago Tribune,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
His early, anonymous SoundCloud drops were hushed and hesitant, a shroud of tape hiss and white noise between himself and true self-examination.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
10 June 2026
-
Macy’s was notorious in its industry for how siloed its teams and culture were, characteristics that impeded prior turnaround efforts until Spring, CEO since 2024, instilled a culture of self-examination and an ability to admit mistakes before quickly moving on.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Denver has been able to maintain that opening-weekend excitement and are just out of the playoff picture, while Boston has some soul-searching to do.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
My advice is to do this soul-searching first, then dive into as much relevant data as possible.—
Angelo Chavez,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
That may be too much heightened self-scrutiny.—
Bryan Price,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
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
-
Its challenges require active engagement, not passive contemplation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
Sterman, after much contemplation, decided to use natives but didn’t develop a detailed plan.—
Nicole Sours Larson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
This majestic sequence delivers a lifetime’s outpouring of love’s inadequacies and frustrations, of grief and regret, of gratitude along with candid acceptance of loss, and of self-questioning that never shakes the foundations of the family—her ferocious commitment to the children.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
-
After long periods of grief, reflection and painful self-questioning, most of the families interviewed by The Charlotte Observer no longer seem interested in reducing their children’s deaths to any one thing.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-observation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-observation. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
