as in selfness
excessive interest in oneself
a singer-songwriter whose compositions are too often exercises in self-important navel-gazing
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Recent Examples of navel-gazing
Beyond the lifeboat of major film festivals, which still assist a handful of buzzy international and independent films in their treacherous journey to release, such entities as the self-congratulatory, navel-gazing Oscars have seemingly abandoned the inclusion of riskier, daring films.
—
Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
The results of this year’s elections could result in a prolonged period of French and German navel-gazing.
—Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2024
Ortberg urged staff to focus on beating its French planemaker competitor Airbus instead of navel-gazing at its own issues.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024
In the end, this leads to a novel that might be Murakami’s most navel-gazing work, and one that has the unmistakable feel of a coda.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
If the idea of a deep dive into the pop-culture Zeitgeist of Obama’s presidency feels like an exhausting amount of navel-gazing, well, nothing could be more true to the spirit of the time.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024
That deserves far more digital ink to be spilled than the usual navel-gazing about how iPhones are boring.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
As for the airport tray aesthetic, while people might be getting het up at the idea of Gen Z holding up the line for some navel-gazing, the US Transport Security Administration is sanguine about the risk.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024
Plenty of people saw these films, and their teeth were set on edge by the cultural homogeneity, the navel-gazing conversations, the unremarkable visual palate, or the nonchalant performances contained therein.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
The results of this year’s elections could result in a prolonged period of French and German navel-gazing.
—Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2024
Ortberg urged staff to focus on beating its French planemaker competitor Airbus instead of navel-gazing at its own issues.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024
In the end, this leads to a novel that might be Murakami’s most navel-gazing work, and one that has the unmistakable feel of a coda.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
If the idea of a deep dive into the pop-culture Zeitgeist of Obama’s presidency feels like an exhausting amount of navel-gazing, well, nothing could be more true to the spirit of the time.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024
That deserves far more digital ink to be spilled than the usual navel-gazing about how iPhones are boring.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
As for the airport tray aesthetic, while people might be getting het up at the idea of Gen Z holding up the line for some navel-gazing, the US Transport Security Administration is sanguine about the risk.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024
Plenty of people saw these films, and their teeth were set on edge by the cultural homogeneity, the navel-gazing conversations, the unremarkable visual palate, or the nonchalant performances contained therein.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navel-gazing
Noun
-
Whereas the people of the country paid dearly for their moment of selfishness.—
Hannah Gold,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Some view focusing on one’s goals with determination as an act of selfishness.—
William Jones,
USA TODAY,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Soapstone tops the bespoke vanity with hardware from Rejuvenation.—
Elizabeth Fazzare,
Architectural Digest,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Daniel Petroni Photography The primary suite bathroom features twin vanities, side-by-side showers encased in a glass cube and a black bathtub under a crystal chandelier at its center.—
Ray Parisi,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In the case of Fellini’s achievement, is someone going to produce a more harrowing portrait of the self-deluding toxicity of male narcissism?—
Jim Shepard,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2025
-
There's some research that finds narcissism can improve.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
TIME,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After surviving the Holocaust, a Hungarian Jewish architect (Adrien Brody) comes to the USA to build a life for his family while weathering his own considerable ego and vices.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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The distinction there isn’t about ego but whether Musk’s wrecking ball can continue swinging unabated.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In the view of Georgie’s daughter, Suke Wolton, who teaches politics at Oxford, her late mother found Foster’s self-absorption a little hard to take.—
Ian Parker,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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But Headland’s play distinguishes itself from the others by investigating these confrontations alongside pride: How does this sin, defined by blinding self-absorption and lack of humility, distort the Dahls’ love?—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
But there’s no monopoly on self-involvement, in my experience.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2025
-
At the far opposite end of the adulthood spectrum is Jeff (Alex Wolff), a floppy mess of romantic misadventures and extravagant self-involvement and possibly the world’s most distracted producer.—
Sheri Linden,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel-gazing. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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