Narcissism
noun /ˈnɑːsɪsɪzəm/ — An excessive preoccupation with oneself and one's own image.
Definition
Excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance; selfishness involving a sense of entitlement and an inability to empathise.
Beyond the definition
The most misused psychological term of the last decade. Clinical narcissism is a personality disorder. The key symptom in both is the impaired capacity for empathy — the inability to truly register that other people's inner lives are as real as your own.
Origin & history
From the Greek myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool and wasted away gazing at it. Term coined by Havelock Ellis in 1898.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The narcissism wasn't obvious — it revealed itself slowly, in patterns.
Some degree of narcissism is adaptive; too much destroys relationships.
She'd learned the difference between confidence and narcissism: one involves other people.
Synonyms
egotism, self-absorption, vanity, self-love, egomania
Antonyms
Related words
Narcissism vs vanity
Vanity is excessive pride in one's own appearance or achievements — preoccupation with how one looks or is perceived. Narcissism is structurally deeper: it involves a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and — crucially — impaired empathy, an inability to truly register that other people's inner lives are as real as your own. Vanity is a flaw; narcissism is a way of being. You can be vain and still care about others; narcissism makes genuine care structurally difficult.
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Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Arranging objects on tray
An adult carefully arranges three objects on a tray in a minimalist, perfectly ordered room, focused on the composition.
The intense, self-referential focus on creating a perfectly curated environment reflects an excessive interest in one's own control and the external, polished image of one's surroundings.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration