NAVEL-GAZING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

navel-gazing

noun

ˈnā-vəl-ˈgā-ziŋ

Definition of navel-gazing

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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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 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 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

But Vicki’s insufferable attitude is nothing compared to Lisa’s selfishness by the end of the episode.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
Timidity dissolves into might, selfishness gives place to broad-reaching love, incompetence is replaced with obedience to God’s perfect direction.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of selfishness

Noun

My suite was beyond spacious, with a full entryway with desk and wetbar giving way to a seating area; large, plush bed; then a closet and vanity area leading into a massive bathroom—which had a full soaking tub and two pedestal sinks.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
HomePop Clover Shaped Ottoman A decorative pouf can wear many hats—vanity seating, an extra chair for company, or even a foot stool in lieu of a chaise.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of vanity

Noun

Maybe that’s the point — the film seeks to interrogate Mark’s narcissism — but every interaction feels like it’s been flattened into a series of predictable accusations instead of something that might provoke surprise or reflection.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Her words are not of gratitude but resentment, bile and narcissism.

— Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of narcissism

Noun

For Weinberg, learning from those failures requires putting ego aside and taking an honest look at what went wrong—and what worked.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
His ego is in exact inverse proportion to Ilya’s, which is part of what makes Garfield and Borisov play so beautifully off each other.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of ego

Noun

Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
The action cuts back and forth from Anna and Alice in Rome, the latter still deeply resentful and convinced the whole elaborate story is just some morbid fantasy hatched out of her mother’s self-absorption.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 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-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel-gazing. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of navel-gazing

noun

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