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

Feelings from optimism to selfishness to lust are all neatly captured with song and dance.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026
After Portugal’s 1-1 tie against DR Congo, Henry explained the selfishness of Cristiano Ronaldo’s movement, not opening space for a teammate.

— Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 18 June 2026

Definition of selfishness

Noun

In conclusion, the distance between narcissism and healthy philautia is extraordinary because of the difference in values and goals of the two concepts.

— Gregory Stebbins, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Desirée can so often come off a bundle of cliches of actresses of a certain age, all narcissism, hedonism and irresponsibility.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026

Definition of narcissism

Noun

Visitors would find artifacts such as the candlestand, where Washington chose humility over ego and began the peaceful transfer of power.

— Lonnie G. Bunch III, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
The Aussie needed to have some amount of ego to achieve that confidence, something Wright didn’t have or realize.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026

Definition of ego

Noun

Those sorts of unexpected shifts are what make Vile’s brand of self-absorption so uniquely absorbing after all these years, even as Philadelphia leans into his familiar formula of ’70s-Neil ditch-digging filtered through ’80s-Springsteen production and stretched across ’90s-CD sprawl.

— Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 4 June 2026
The depth of her ambition was hard to reach, as was her self-absorption.

— Sara Wheeler, Big Think, 17 Apr. 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

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“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel-gazing. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of navel-gazing

noun

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