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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of navel-gazing
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
See All Example Sentences for navel-gazing
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
See All Example Sentences for navel-gazing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navel-gazing
Noun
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In seven preceding episodes, Season 3 zoomed in on the insecurities, selfishness, and devious choices of a wide-ranging ensemble cast.—
Hannah Giorgis,
The Atlantic,
7 Apr. 2025
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The level of cartoonish selfishness and narcissism these late-capitalistic nightmares are granted here, however, starts to tip into a level that pitches everything into omnishambles territory.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Why Digital Products Are Changing the Game Entrepreneurial creators are shifting the narrative away from vanity metrics and toward meaningful income.—
Kristen Bousquet,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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Other highlights include the nine-foot-plus height for the tray ceiling, a walk-in closet with a skylight, and a primary bath that includes a soaking tub, separate large shower, dual sink vanity, and a private room for the commode.—
James Alexander,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Emotional manipulation is very common in people with personality disorders like narcissism, Giolitti-Wright adds.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
12 Apr. 2025
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The reality was that Mavis’s mother didn’t have much time for her, being—like the grandmother in the story—not very maternal, though, in her case, this was attributable not to rigidity but to narcissism.—
Margaret Atwood,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The leaders who earn trust today are those who anchor their work not in ego or optics, but in meaning—and who cultivate cultures that transform purpose into aligned, high-velocity execution.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Just like on Succession, the fragile egos, myopic intelligence, and delusional self-righteousness of these uber-wealthy nuts go haywire pretty quickly.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His self-absorption, against the backdrop of such enormous loss, was particularly striking.—
Kevin Johnson,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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But, sometimes, accomplishment and self-absorption can go together.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But there’s no monopoly on self-involvement, in my experience.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2025
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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 30 Apr. 2025.
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