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View synonyms for

self-absorbed

[ self-ab-sawrbd, -zawrbd, self- ]

adjective

  1. preoccupied with one's own thoughts, interests, etc., especially to the extent that other people and things go unnoticed:

    She was criticized for being too self-absorbed, but she was an inventor, and when struck by an idea she had to shut the world out in order to focus on it.



self-absorbed

adjective

  1. preoccupied with one's own thoughts, emotions, life, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of self-absorbed1

First recorded in 1840–50
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He started “Star Wars” as a self-absorbed teenager who refused to help Princess Leia, sputtering, “It’s not that I like the Empire — I hate it — but there’s nothing I can do about it right now.”

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As his preoccupied parents and self-absorbed sister boarded their plane back home, he joyously joined a group of local Hawaiian men rowing in the ocean.

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Not the least bit self-absorbed, he shared some of the trials of his own widowhood, which struck a chord with me.

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This season seems stacked with so many self-absorbed, one-dimensional characters it’s hard for me to root for most of them to survive.

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They are the political reincarnation of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the tragically self-absorbed couple in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”

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More About Self Absorbed

doesself-absorbed mean?

Self-absorbed is an adjective used to describe a person who’s preoccupied with their own wants and needs.

When used in this term, the word absorbed means deeply preoccupied or totally wrapped up in something—in this case, oneself.

Self-absorbed is almost always used negatively. When you call people self-absorbed, it usually means you think they only think about and care about themselves.

The term is typically used to describe a person’s overall personality (as opposed to their behavior on a certain day or at a certain time).

The state of being self-absorbed is called self-absorption (notice how the b becomes a p in the noun absorption).

Example: My therapist helped me to see how self-absorbed I was, only ever thinking about myself and making everything about me.

Where doesself-absorbed come from?

The first records of the term self-absorbed come from the 1800s. The term is formed in the same way as its very close synonym self-centered. People who are self-centered are centered on themselves, and people who are self-absorbed are completely absorbed (totally preoccupied) with themselves.

We call people self-absorbed when it seems like they’re incapable of thinking of anything other than themselves. People who are self-absorbed will always find a way to talk about themselves, no matter what the topic of conversation is. When you try to talk to a self-absorbed person about your problems, they end up making everything about them.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms related to self-absorbed?

are some synonyms for self-absorbed?

are some words that share a root or word element with self-absorbed?

are some words that often get used in discussing self-absorbed?

How isself-absorbed used in real life?

Self-absorbed is almost always used negatively as a way to criticize people who only seem to be interested in themselves and their own needs.

Try usingself-absorbed!

Which of the following words would NOT be used to describe someone who’s considered self-absorbed?

A. selfless
B. narcissistic
C. egotistical
D. vain

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self-abnegationself-absorption