narcissistic

adjective

nar·​cis·​sis·​tic ˌnär-sə-ˈsi-stik How to pronounce narcissistic (audio)
: 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
But 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
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
Our 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

Examples of narcissistic in a Sentence

trying to raise the social consciousness of the normally narcissistic Hollywood community
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.
For narcissistic individuals, dissatisfaction stems in part from their need to maintain a flawless image. Mark Travers, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 Her investigation brings back one of my favorite characters from last season: the narcissistic chain-smoking widow Rosemary Vines (played to the diva hilt by Jeri Ryan). Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025 Ultimately, his narcissistic enchantment with his own beauty and lifestyle is marred by one great fear – aging and loss of his youth. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for narcissistic

Word History

Etymology

narciss(ism) + -istic

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of narcissistic was in 1915

Cite this Entry

“Narcissistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcissistic. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Medical Definition

narcissistic

adjective
nar·​cis·​sis·​tic ˌnär-sə-ˈsis-tik How to pronounce narcissistic (audio)
: of, relating to, or characterized by narcissism or narcissistic personality disorder
narcissistically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on narcissistic

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