navel-gazing
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navel-gazing
- /ˈneɪvəlˌɡeɪzɪŋ/ US, UK
Where it comes from
Calque of Ancient Greek ὀμφαλοσκοπία (omphaloskopía). By surface analysis, navel + gazing.
noun navel-gazings · navel gazing
-
The contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation.
Forget incense and the lotus position, forget notions of "getting rid of thoughts" or "navel gazing," meditation is, more broadly and more helpfully for most people, getting to know our minds and hearts.
Similar: navel-watching, omphaloskepsis
-
An excessive focus on oneself; self-indulgent introspection.
To whom, except to the author, could these narcissistic navel-gazings be of interest?
Similar: navel-watching, omphaloskepsis
- A (disproportionate) concentration on a single issue. In spite of efforts by the government to focus public attention on the economy and to turn Canadians away from constitutional navel gazing to the outward challenges of the global economy, it was the election of Bill Clinton to the American presidency that set the mood for political change at home.
verb
- present participle and gerund of navel-gaze
Translations
Every language
noun excessive focus on oneself
| Español | ombliguismo, ensimismamiento |
|---|---|
| Français | nombrilisme |
| Deutsch | Nabelschau |
| Ελληνικά | ομφαλοσκόπηση omfaloskópisi |
Talk about this word "navel-gazing." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/navel-gazing. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. navel-gazing. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/navel-gazing "navel-gazing." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/navel-gazing.Cite this
@misc{navel_gazing_2026,
title = {navel-gazing},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/navel-gazing},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
