self-absorbed

adjective

self-ab·​sorbed ˌself-əb-ˈsȯrbd How to pronounce self-absorbed (audio)
-ˈzȯrbd
: absorbed in one's own thoughts, activities, or interests

Examples of self-absorbed in a Sentence

a self-absorbed man who seems utterly oblivious to the social problems of his own urban neighborhood
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The hotel guests are sometimes too self-absorbed to notice, but this season amps up the terrors lurking around every corner in the week leading to the mysterious death. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025 Hot stone massages, private yoga, every possible amenity, and also rude, self-absorbed, and entitled rich people in every lounge chair, chasing status and self-improvement, conscious of every flaw but their own. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025 This new gaggle of mostly privileged Americans remain as flawed and self-absorbed as ever, too. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025 Ambitious and egregiously self-absorbed — Mona and Milton have those traits in common — Mona always tolerated his aggressive handsiness, his middle-of-the-night phone calls, his chronic inappropriateness. Laura Collins-Hughes, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-absorbed

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-absorbed was in 1796

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Cite this Entry

“Self-absorbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-absorbed. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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