ENGLISH
REFERENCE

narcissist

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈnɑɹsɪsɪst// UK //nˈɑːsɪsˌɪst// nar·cis·sist Informal

n. someone who thinks about themselves too much and admires their own appearance or abilities. You use this to describe a person who lacks care for others because they are so focused on themselves.

n. a person who displays an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves. In clinical psychology, an individual with a specific personality disorder characterised by grandiosity and a profound lack of empathy.


SIMPLE

My former boss was a narcissist who never listened to anyone else.

CONTEXTUAL

He proved to be a complete narcissist, constantly steering every conversation back to his own achievements and ignoring his friends' problems.

COMPLEX

The novel's protagonist is an unrepentant narcissist whose inability to recognise the emotional needs of his family ultimately leaves him isolated in his sprawling, empty mansion.

Synonyms
Origin

From Narcissus (“a character in Greek mythology who became obsessed with his own reflection”) + -ist.

Usage

Frequently modified by adjectives like 'malignant' or 'covert' in psychological contexts, and 'complete' or 'total' in everyday speech.

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