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
The Cavs are not, to borrow a phrase from former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, navel-gazing.
—
Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
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
Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navel-gazing
Noun
-
And a lot of them have the same thing, which is just like, there is a sort of narcissism a little bit, selfishness.—
H. Alan Scott,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Not in the same universe of selfishness and greediness 😂 N Niko K. · 8h 20m ago Ronaldo has five Ballon d‘Ors as well as five Champions League titles.—
Thom Harris,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Each of the bedrooms has a corresponding en suite that features beadboard walls, an oak vanity with rope detailing, and a stone countertop that extends upwards to wrap around the mirrors.—
Morgan Goldberg,
Architectural Digest,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Residential wet rooms can be just one feature in an expensive, spa-like primary bathroom decked out with a sauna, toilet, vanity and a mini cold-plunge pool.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Nevertheless, these actions create a destructive cycle identified in the study that explains how narcissism and ostracism fuel each other.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
So much more than a story about football players, this series takes in race, socio-economics, and what happens to outsized egos in the face of failure.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2025
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This kind of self-inquiry forces leaders to separate ego from strategy, ensuring that decisions are based on the best available information rather than past habits.—
Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
But that feckless self-absorption is rerouted, if not extinguished, by a chance sighting of local resident Charlotte (Alison Pill).—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
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 13 Mar. 2025.
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