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

S Mark Young, a professor at the University of Southern California and author of The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America, says Federline's book is unlikely to change people's minds about her.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2025

Salon took these questions to Craig Malkin Ph.D., a psychiatrist and lecturer for Harvard Medical School, who is also the author of "Rethinking Narcissism The Secret to Recognizing and Coping with Narcissists."

From Salon • Sep. 8, 2023

Narcissism comes with the territory of memoirs; modest people don’t bare their souls to the world.

From Washington Post • Feb. 2, 2023

The lesson was clear: Narcissism is inherently antisocial and corrosive, and also selfies will cause you to die at the zoo.

From Slate • Dec. 31, 2019

But the clinical term "Narcissism" was abused by Lasch in his books.

From Terrorists and Freedom Fighters by Vaknin, Samuel

Related Words

• arrogance
• self-absorption
• selfishness