narcissism
noun
nar·cis·sism
ˈnär-sə-ˌsi-zəm 
1
: egoism, egocentrism
… up until my late 30's I lived in a state of utterly monstrous narcissism and self-absorption …—
Frank Conroy
Frank Conroy2
: narcissistic personality disorder
One of the premier diagnoses of our times, narcissism is a reflection not only of an apparent trend in mental illness but also of the strains and distortions in the lives of essentially healthy people.—Robert Karen
Robert Karen3
: love of or sexual desire of one's own body
Examples of narcissism in a Sentence
in his narcissism, he just assumed that everyone else wanted to hear the tiny details of his day
Recent Examples on the Web
Interestingly, men in relationships with women high in grandiose narcissism reported lower satisfaction, as these women heightened their partners’ pressure to appear perfect.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
There’s a thin line between self-care and narcissism.
—Jo Hamya, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Experiencing Exclusion To start their investigation, the researchers turned to a survey of almost 1,600 individuals whose narcissism and experience of exclusion were assessed through a series of ranked statements in 2015.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for narcissism
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Mark Travers, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
There’s a thin line between self-care and narcissism.
—Jo Hamya, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Experiencing Exclusion To start their investigation, the researchers turned to a survey of almost 1,600 individuals whose narcissism and experience of exclusion were assessed through a series of ranked statements in 2015.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for narcissism
Articles Related to narcissism
Cite this Entry
“Narcissism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcissism. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
narcissism
noun
nar·cis·sism
ˈnär-sə-ˌsiz-əm
: excessive love and admiration for oneself and especially one's own appearance
Medical Definition
narcissism
noun
nar·cis·sism
ˈnär-sə-ˌsiz-əm
2
: love of or sexual desire for one's own body
3
: the state or stage of development in psychoanalytic theory in which there is considerable erotic interest in one's own body and ego and which in abnormal forms persists through fixation or reappears through regression
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