narcissism

noun

nar·​cis·​sism ˈnär-sə-ˌsi-zəm 

1

: egoism, egocentrism

… up until my late 30's I lived in a state of utterly monstrous narcissism and self-absorption …

—Frank Conroy

2

: narcissistic personality disorder

One of the premier diagnoses of our times, narcissism is a reflection not only of an apparent trend in mental illness but also of the strains and distortions in the lives of essentially healthy people.

—Robert Karen

3

: love of or sexual desire of one's own body

Synonyms

• egocentricity
• egocentrism
• egoism
• egomania
• egotism
• navel-gazing
• self-absorption
• self-centeredness
• self-concern
• self-interest
• self-involvement
• self-preoccupation
• self-regard
• selfishness
• selfness

Examples of narcissism in a Sentence

in his narcissism, he just assumed that everyone else wanted to hear the tiny details of his day

Recent Examples on the Web

But at least their narcissism can be advantageous to others and society, particularly when it is also expressed in terms of altruistic or prosocial motives. —Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Glinda’s hair flips and knee-jerk narcissism lack the necessary conviction. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

The benefits of both jobs, at least on an armchair-psychology level, involve a mix of duty and narcissism—someone has to thanklessly call balls and strikes, someone needs to go to a city-hall meeting and write up what the mayor said. —Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024

Gratitude is the opposite of selfishness, egotism, avarice or narcissism. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

narcissus + -ism; (sense 2) in part after German Narcismus (now Narzismus)

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

narcissism

noun

nar·​cis·​sism ˈnär-sə-ˌsiz-əm 

: excessive love and admiration for oneself and especially one's own appearance

narcissist

-sist 

noun

narcissistic

ˌnär-sə-ˈsis-tik 

adjective

Medical Definition

narcissism

noun

nar·​cis·​sism ˈnär-sə-ˌsiz-əm 

1

: narcissistic personality disorder

2

: love of or sexual desire for one's own body

3

: the state or stage of development in psychoanalytic theory in which there is considerable erotic interest in one's own body and ego and which in abnormal forms persists through fixation or reappears through regression