self-involved

American  

[self-in-volvd, self-] / ˈsɛlf ɪnˈvɒlvd, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

1. another term for self-absorbed.

   That video game had him so self-involved he never heard us pounding on the door.

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Etymology

Origin of self-involved

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

To my chagrin, being young and self-involved, as well as working a grueling summer job, I remember that I was almost oblivious to the crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

As the sudden underdog here — even as a person we’re to take as critically self-involved and going a little crazy — she reads as the protagonist.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025

This emerges in the fourth episode with the introduction of Downey Jr’s Auteur, an aggressively self-involved filmmaker.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2024

In one scene, the wildly self-involved protagonist fantasizes about her own funeral.

From New York Times • May 17, 2023

“It’s so easy to be self-involved when you’re young.”

From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender

Related Words

• narcissistic
• self-absorbed
• snobbish