introspective

adjective

in·​tro·​spec·​tive ˌin-trə-ˈspek-tiv 

: characterized by examination of one's own thoughts and feelings : thoughtfully reflective : employing, marked by, or tending to introspection

As a student, he was very quiet and introspective.

… encouraging a balance between the fast, upbeat songs and a band's more introspective side.

—David T. Lindsay

There's an interesting literature that suggests that when people are sad, they tend to pay attention to themselves. They become withdrawn and introspective and very aware of their body and their mind and not very aware of the external world.

—Peter Salovey

introspectively adverb

This whole episode set me thinking introspectively, and led me gradually but imperatively to self-analysis—not of powers, but of motives.

—Bram Stoker

introspectiveness noun

Introversion is too often considered a sign of weakness when it should instead be an indication of strength, and associated with thoughtfulness, introspectiveness and independence.

—Jasmine Tatah

Examples of introspective in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From college radio stations in 1996 to Epitaph and MTV in the 2000s, Atmosphere heralded the wave of introspective underground rap. —Alessandro Corona, The Enquirer, 25 Apr. 2024

An artist by trade, Boyd is an introspective old soul. —Ben Jarrell, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above