navel-gazing
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of navel-gazing
First recorded in 1955–60; navel ( def. ) + gaz(e) ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ); perhaps from Hours With the Mystics (1856) by Robert Alfred Vaughan, English Congregationalist minister and author (1823–57), “...if a man shut himself up… turning his thoughts inward, gazing towards his navel..., he would at length behold a divine glory….”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Anything other than a large, loud apology is navel-gazing on their part.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
But you shouldn’t expect your children to be lying around all day, navel-gazing, or working 12-hour shifts in a South American lithium mine.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
The government source said there had been "a lot of navel-gazing" about what Caerphilly means for Labour, including "people chipping in who didn't knock a door".
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
The amount of navel-gazing that took place in those years was epic.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2025
Throw in the sheer tonnage of think pieces and appreciations and other navel-gazing and you’d be forgiven for asking: Do we also need a book about Lorne Michaels?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2025
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
