Meaning & use
self-absorption
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Meanings
noununcountabledisapproving
The state of being mainly concerned with your own thoughts, feelings, or interests and not paying attention to others.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it is not used with 'a' or in the plural; you can say 'a moment of self-absorption'.
Patterns
- self-absorption with something
- in self-absorption
- a moment of self-absorption
His constant self-absorption made it hard for him to notice when others needed help.
The novel criticizes the self-absorption of the wealthy elite.
She was so lost in self-absorption that she forgot her friend's birthday.
noununcountabletechnicalphysics
In physics, the process by which a substance absorbs radiation that it has itself emitted.
Grammar: Technical use; usually appears in scientific writing about light or radiation.
Patterns
- self-absorption of radiation
- self-absorption effect
The spectrometer reading was corrected for self-absorption in the sample.
Self-absorption can distort measurements of a star's spectrum.
Common combinations
- narcissistic self-absorption
- His narcissistic self-absorption made him a difficult colleague.
- a moment of self-absorption
- She had a moment of self-absorption and missed the joke.
- lost in self-absorption
- He was lost in self-absorption, unaware of the chaos around him.
- self-absorption with
- The book explores her self-absorption with her own problems.
Synonyms and how they differ
- self-centeredness
- Similar, but focuses more on putting yourself at the center of everything; self-absorption suggests being absorbed in your own thoughts.
- narcissism
- A stronger, more clinical term implying excessive love of oneself; self-absorption can be temporary and less extreme.
- egotism
- Focuses on talking about oneself and one's achievements; self-absorption is more about being inwardly focused.
Opposites
Word family
- self-absorbed adjective
- Describing someone who is mainly concerned with their own thoughts and feelings.
- absorb verb
- To take in or soak up something, literally or figuratively.
- absorption noun
- The process of taking in a substance or information.
Commonly confused: self-absorption or self-absorbed?
self-absorption vs self-absorbed
This is the adjective; 'self-absorption' is the noun. You say 'He is self-absorbed' but 'His self-absorption is a problem.'
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Option B correctly uses the uncountable noun to describe a negative trait. Option A contradicts the meaning (self-absorption means not listening). Option C incorrectly uses a plural. Option D uses 'a' with an uncountable noun and describes a positive action that does not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self-absorption”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.