self-absorption

American  

[self-ab-sawrp-shuhn, -zawrp-, self-] / ˈsɛlf æbˈsɔrp ʃən, -ˈzɔrp-, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. preoccupation with oneself or one's own affairs, especially to the extent that other people and things go unnoticed.

   His self-absorption was ignored by his parents, who denied the possibility of its being symptomatic of autism.

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self-absorption British  

noun

1. preoccupation with oneself to the exclusion of others or the outside world

2. physics the process in which some of the radiation emitted by a material is absorbed by the material itself

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Etymology

Origin of self-absorption

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

By the end, it’s hard not to feel for him even as you laugh at his self-absorption.

From The Wall Street Journal

Having spent the last seven years in a state of self-absorption — or, as his ex-girlfriend Lucy later puts it: “You’ve just been up there pouting?” — his new quest is simply to atone.

From Los Angeles Times

"The self-absorption of the lovers, their descent into a destructive vortex, remains connected to the larger history of East Germany during this period, often meeting history at odd angles."

From BBC

The “self-absorption of the lovers” — a student and a 50-something novelist — and “their descent into a destructive vortex” tracks the history of East Germany before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, she said.

From New York Times

But Carell steers clear of anything resembling a star turn, preferring instead to be a witness to these theatrical proceedings until the crucial showdown with Alexander, whose titanic self-absorption Molina captures to perfection.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arrogance
• egotism
• narcissism
• self-confidence
• selfishness