navel-gazing

noun

ˈnā-vəl-ˈgā-ziŋ How to pronounce navel-gazing (audio)
Definition of navel-gazingnext
as in selfness
excessive interest in oneself a singer-songwriter whose compositions are too often exercises in self-important navel-gazing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of navel-gazing Now The human consciousness question is not just philosophical navel-gazing. — Barry Libert, Forbes.com, 17 Mar. 2026 Cook moved past the navel-gazing of perfectionist designers to get the product out the door, scaling with unprecedented success. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026 Equal to Tesfaye’s navel-gazing, Shults uses every trick in the music-video playbook to conjure a vivid, ultra-saturated but not quite realistic universe where the Weeknd is a brightly burning sun everyone revolves around. — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 15 May 2025 Van Nistelrooy’s first three games brought a defeat, a victory and a draw; his fourth, on December 14, was a visit to Newcastle, who were navel-gazing after a damaging 4-2 defeat at Brentford. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for navel-gazing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navel-gazing
  1. selfishness
  2. vanity
  3. narcissism
  4. ego
  5. self-absorption
  6. self-involvement
Noun
  • Feelings from optimism to selfishness to lust are all neatly captured with song and dance.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026
  • After Portugal’s 1-1 tie against DR Congo, Henry explained the selfishness of Cristiano Ronaldo’s movement, not opening space for a teammate.
    — Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 18 June 2026
Definition of selfishness
Noun
  • The bathroom is nearby and contains a vanity sink, a walk-in shower, and an incinerating toilet – which literally turns waste into ash.
    — Adam Williams July 01, New Atlas, 1 July 2026
  • The hotel’s wellness focus extends to the bathrooms, which boast walk-in showers, claw-foot soaking tubs, and double-sink marble vanities embellished with ornate gilt mirrors.
    — Veronica M. Stoddart, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026
Definition of vanity
Noun
  • In conclusion, the distance between narcissism and healthy philautia is extraordinary because of the difference in values and goals of the two concepts.
    — Gregory Stebbins, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Desirée can so often come off a bundle of cliches of actresses of a certain age, all narcissism, hedonism and irresponsibility.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026
Definition of narcissism
Noun
  • Visitors would find artifacts such as the candlestand, where Washington chose humility over ego and began the peaceful transfer of power.
    — Lonnie G. Bunch III, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
  • The Aussie needed to have some amount of ego to achieve that confidence, something Wright didn’t have or realize.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
Definition of ego
Noun
  • Those sorts of unexpected shifts are what make Vile’s brand of self-absorption so uniquely absorbing after all these years, even as Philadelphia leans into his familiar formula of ’70s-Neil ditch-digging filtered through ’80s-Springsteen production and stretched across ’90s-CD sprawl.
    — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 4 June 2026
  • The depth of her ambition was hard to reach, as was her self-absorption.
    — Sara Wheeler, Big Think, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of self-absorption
Noun
  • Natalie’s anxieties about her sexuality and frustration with her parents’ self-involvement.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 5 June 2026
  • By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of self-involvement

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navel
navel-gazing
navels
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Cite this Entry

“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel-gazing. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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