Word
narcissistic
Having an excessive focus on yourself, your own importance, and gaining admiration from others.
Meanings
Excessively self-centered and preoccupied with being admired or seen as important.
Showing an excessive focus on one’s own image, achievements, or status, with little attention to others.
Definition
Narcissistic describes someone who is overly self-centered and strongly concerned with how they are seen by others. It often implies a constant need for praise and a tendency to downplay other people’s feelings or contributions. The word is usually critical and commonly used to describe attitudes or behavior rather than a single action.
Examples
- His narcissistic comments dominated the discussion, leaving little room for anyone else’s perspective.
- She found the speech narcissistic because it celebrated her achievements while ignoring the team’s work.
- Their marketing strategy felt narcissistic, focusing on the brand’s ego rather than customers’ needs.
- I worry I sounded narcissistic when I talked about my promotion for ten minutes without asking how you were doing.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes use narcissistic to mean simply “confident,” but it usually suggests unhealthy self-absorption and a need for admiration.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More adjectives
- agnostic An agnostic is someone who does not claim to know whether God exists.
- pragmatic Pragmatic means focused on practical results rather than ideals or theories.
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- cynical Cynical describes believing that people are mainly motivated by self-interest and not sincere.
- apathetic Apathetic means showing little or no interest, concern, or enthusiasm.