narcissistic
adjective
nar·cis·sis·tic
ˌnär-sə-ˈsi-stik 
: of, relating to, or characterized by narcissism: such as
a
: extremely self-centered with an exaggerated sense of self-importance : marked by or characteristic of excessive admiration of or infatuation with oneself
a narcissistic personality
He was a very narcissistic man, not too concerned with the world.—
Oliver Sacks
Oliver SacksBut when a mother's narcissistic needs are so great that she cannot relate to her child as he really is, she loves her child as a self-object—that is, as someone put on this earth to meet her needs.—Sue Erikson Bloland
see also narcissistic personality disorder
Sue Erikson Bloland
b
: displaying or marked by excessive concern with one's own physical appearance
… she describes the bind created for women by the judgment that a woman preoccupied with her looks is narcissistic and a woman who is not is unfeminine.—Carol Gilligan
Carol GilliganOur narcissistic culture has turned us into a nation of body-image "junkies" using everything in our power to carve, reshape, remold, and recast our bodies' natural shapes and processes so that they are better fitted to our desires.—Andrew Kimbrell
Andrew KimbrellExamples of narcissistic in a Sentence
trying to raise the social consciousness of the normally narcissistic Hollywood community
Recent Examples on the Web
Studying thousands of participants through a series of surveys and experiments, a team of researchers recently investigated the narcissistic experience of exclusion.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
While some narcissistic cops may think having the whole department to themselves is a license to run wild, Lou is sick of it.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
This is one resilient bear, even in the face of a villainous Hugh Grant, who plays a narcissistic, has-been actor.
—Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
The stakes aren’t as high in a friendship with a narcissistic, but the same guidelines apply.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
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Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
While some narcissistic cops may think having the whole department to themselves is a license to run wild, Lou is sick of it.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
This is one resilient bear, even in the face of a villainous Hugh Grant, who plays a narcissistic, has-been actor.
—Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
The stakes aren’t as high in a friendship with a narcissistic, but the same guidelines apply.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for narcissistic
Articles Related to narcissistic
Cite this Entry
“Narcissistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcissistic. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
narcissistic
adjective
nar·cis·sis·tic
ˌnär-sə-ˈsis-tik
: of, relating to, or characterized by narcissism or narcissistic personality disorder
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