navel-gazing

noun

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

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.
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 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 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

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Cite this Entry

“Navel-gazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/navel-gazing. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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