Navel-gazing
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 2 literally, the contemplation of one's navel, which is an idiom usually meaning complacent self-absorption wordnet
- 3 An excessive focus on oneself; self-indulgent introspection. countable, derogatory, uncountable
"To whom, except to the author, could these narcissistic navel-gazings be of interest?"
- 4 A (disproportionate) concentration on a single issue. countable, derogatory, sometimes, uncountable
"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."
- 1 present participle and gerund of navel-gaze form-of, gerund, participle, present
Example
More examples"Your navel-gazing prevents you from seeing what's really important."
Etymology
Calque of Ancient Greek ὀμφαλοσκοπία (omphaloskopía). By surface analysis, navel + gazing.
Related phrases
More for "navel-gazing"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.