narcissism

American  

[nahr-suh-siz-em] / ˈnɑr səˌsɪz ɛm /

Also narcism

noun

narcissisms plural

1. inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.

   Synonyms:

   egocentrism, smugness

2. Psychiatry. narcissistic personality disorder.

3. Psychoanalysis. erotic gratification derived from admiration of one's own physical or mental attributes, being a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development.

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narcissism British  

/ ˈnɑːsɪˌsɪzəm, ˈnɑːˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. an exceptional interest in or admiration for oneself, esp one's physical appearance

2. sexual satisfaction derived from contemplation of one's own physical or mental endowments

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narcissism Cultural  

1. A consuming self-absorption or self-love; a type of egotism. Narcissists constantly assess their appearance, desires, feelings, and abilities.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• narcissist
  noun
• narcist
  noun
• nonnarcism
  noun
• nonnarcissism
  noun
• narcissistic
  adjective
• narcistic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• narcissisms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of narcissism

First recorded in 1820–25, and in 1900–05 narcissism for def. 3; see narcissus, -ism. The psychoanalysis meaning is from the German word Narzissismus, coined in 1899 by Paul Näcke (1851–1913), German psychiatrist and criminologist

Explanation

Do you have a friend who constantly turns the conversation to themselves, as in "That's great about your winning the award but do you think these pants look good on me?" They're putting their narcissism, or excessive love of self, on display. In psychoanalysis, narcissism is erotic gratification derived from excessive love for yourself, and is considered to be a normal developmental stage. The reference is to Narcissus, a beautiful youth in Greek mythology who fell in love with his reflection in a body of water and was changed into the flower narcissus, which grows near water.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

narcissism narcissisms

The reported investigation into Carroll is about more than the president’s bottomless narcissism.

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

His assessment came after he lamented the fact that social media algorithms punish “decency” and reward “flamboyant narcissism and controversy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

The art that he created there embodies a kind of deconstructed narcissism; Samaras is fascinated with himself, but mostly as—to paraphrase the photographer Garry Winogrand’s choice of subjects—“something to be photographed.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026

"It's a confused mix of ambition and narcissism, unleavened by any effort at intellectual coherence," said Bruce Jones, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

I had it in my mind that she’d grown up spending four hours a day in front of the mirror, narcissism to the point of solipsism.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

Shteyngart skewers the petty narcissisms of cultural elites with trademark hilarity.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2021

Perhaps this is the point; perhaps Anshaw means to shake us awake from our little narcissisms, our devout solipsisms, our daily applications of principled maquillage.

From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2019

I wanted to demolish my vanity, my puny little narcissisms, and direct my mind toward work that mattered.

From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2012

Related Words

• arrogance
• self-absorption
• selfishness