Word of the Day
: May 11, 2010navel-gazing
playWhat It Means
: useless or excessive self-contemplation
navel-gazing in Context
Instead of more of the feel-good lyrics and beats that launched her to stardom, the songs on the diva’s sophomore release border on tedious philosophizing and navel-gazing.
Did You Know?
If you are scratching your head over something, then you are probably in a state of puzzled contemplation. But if you are staring at your navel, you could either be indulging in some useless self-contemplation or in a state of deep meditation. If the latter, the technical term for your activity would be "omphaloskepsis," which is a form of meditation that has been practiced by mystics for centuries. Navel-gazing is a pop form of omphaloskepsis that is devoid of any serious meditative value. The word has been used more or less disparagingly since its first appearance in 1963.
