navel-gazing
3
8.8
- noun
- /ˈneɪvəlˌɡeɪzɪŋ/
- Informal
- If there's no sexism to speak of, tell me this: why are you ignoring the actual responses from dozens of women here (i.e., that they have not experienced sexism and feel respect from clients and peers) in favor of navel-gazing introspection over the nature of the questions?
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Watch on YouTubeI find it does feel like a very insular navel gazing, comedy media class thing.
- I find it does feel like a very insular navel gazing, comedy media class thing.
- So there is maybe a shadow side of presence, which could be a lot of navel gazing.
- And, you know, we need to do something because sitting around navel gazing and, you know, bureaucratic inertia is going to get us nowhere.
- You don't know what truth is your grandstanding, navel gazing, incognizant moral posture if you call yourself a truth seeker.
- It's a sort of dark and and limited road to navel gazing, which ends up with some, you know, pretty horrible things like wanting to cut bits of yourself off.
Examples
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Her constant navel-gazing prevented her from understanding the broader issues affecting her community.
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Knowing the self is not just navel gazing, it's knowing yourself through what you do.
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I find it does feel like a very insular navel gazing, comedy media class thing.
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What confuses me is the amount of navel-gazing and region-centrism that goes on, especially on this site, but even on the podcast.
Blog text (7) -
All this gives us a clearer picture of what is happening in the sum of all the moving parts once we step away from the navel-gazing that passes for progressive thought and analysis.
Blog text (7) -
And, you know, we need to do something because sitting around navel gazing and, you know, bureaucratic inertia is going to get us nowhere.
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You're consuming a fake version of your own life, and it's addictive even as you realize it's nothing but navel gazing.
Blog text (14) -
Too much navel-gazing about personal problems can prevent you from taking action to improve your life.
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The report was filled with navel-gazing, focusing on the author's opinions rather than objective facts.
Synonyms
31
7.5
An unhealthy strong interest in someone or something that harms daily life
27
5.6
Thinking about something a lot and not noticing other things
3
6.1
A very strong focus on someone or something that harms your life
2
7.0
Thinking about something too much and doing the same thing again and again
1
7.9
To think carefully about your own thoughts, feelings, and actions
1
9.9
Spending time looking at your belly button or thinking too much about yourself
Being too focused on one idea or activity
Antonyms
How Self-Absorbed
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Navel-gazing comes from the image of someone staring at their navel ('belly button') with gazing meaning 'staring', a simple picture of being focused on oneself. So it means being too absorbed in yourself or one small idea and missing the bigger picture.