navel-gazing

noun

navel-gaz·​ing ˈnā-vəl-ˈgā-ziŋ How to pronounce navel-gazing (audio)
Synonyms of navel-gazingnext
: useless or excessive self-contemplation

Synonyms of navel-gazing

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Examples of navel-gazing in a Sentence

a singer-songwriter whose compositions are too often exercises in self-important navel-gazing
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.
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 Is there anything weirder than this navel-gazing celebration of journalists? — Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for navel-gazing

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of navel-gazing was in 1922

Rhymes for navel-gazing

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Browse Nearby Words

navel
navel-gazing
navel orange
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Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/navel-gazing. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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