narcissism

[ nahr-suh-siz-em ]

noun

1. inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.

   Synonyms: egocentrism, smugness

2. Psychiatry. narcissistic personality disorder ( def ).
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.

narcissism

/ 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

narcissism

1. A consuming self-absorption or self-love; a type of egotism . Narcissists constantly assess their appearance, desires, feelings, and abilities.

Derived Forms

• ˌnarcisˈsistic, adjective
• ˈnarcissist, noun

Other Words From

• nar·cis·sist [nahr, -s, uh, -sist], nar·cist [nahr, -sist], noun
• nar·cis·sis·tic nar·cis·tic adjective
• non·nar·cism noun
• non·nar·cis·sism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of narcissism¹

First recorded in 1820–25, and in 1900–05 narcissism fordef 3; narcissus, -ism. The psychoanalysis meaning is from the German word Narzissismus, coined in 1899 by Paul Näcke (1851–1913), German psychiatrist and criminologist

Word History and Origins

Origin of narcissism¹

C19: from Narcissus

Example Sentences

He added: "He was a dealer junkie, he couldn't give up the deals... it was feeding his narcissism."

From BBC

Many mocked and laughed at the strategy, describing it as a function of his ego and narcissism.

From Salon

No one screaming lies, demonizing huge swaths of Americans as "enemies" or "poison," or running through the behavioral checklist for psychopathy and narcissism.

From Salon

A woman whose best friend stole nearly £86,000 from a charity set up in memory of her daughter believes her crimes were fuelled by "greed, vanity and narcissism".

From BBC

This prompts Kaplan to wonder in his journal whether “thinking everyone would have the same feeling as you do was a trait of severe narcissism.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arrogance
• self-absorption
• selfishness