Definition of self-scrutinynext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-scrutiny And the strategies our minds reach for in moments of doubt—retreat, control, relentless self-scrutiny—can work powerfully against us at the moments that matter most. Karyn Gallant, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 People committed to covenant cannot lose the capacity for moral self-scrutiny. Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026 That may be too much heightened self-scrutiny. Bryan Price, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 Few other nations are as prone to self-scrutiny and self-criticism, or as engaged in impassioned discourse on the nature of liberty and democracy without fear of governmental repression. Kenneth Lasson, Baltimore Sun, 1 Jan. 2025 Above all, Raisman is working on breaking free from a vicious cycle of self-scrutiny. Katie Camero, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 Since my teens, a tendency to spiral into a tornado of self-scrutiny and expecting the absolute worst to happen have been toxic friends of mine. Emma Firth, Vogue, 14 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-scrutiny
Noun
  • Ahead of the sound bath, Oso Sound Healing Studio founder Avery Whitmore said the unconventional space would invite a childlike energy, a deeper connection to animals and introspection.
    Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • While tech billionaires such as Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen may see empathy and introspection as weaknesses, those traits are the beating heart of literature and art, the wellspring of creativity and human connection.
    Billy J. Stratton, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • What came of this self-examination were over sixty videos made in high-definition 3D, produced in weekly sessions over the course of more than a year, beginning in February 2025.
    Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Fundamental Questions To Ask CEOs and the board chair should think of the annual review as a self-examination into what is working well today and what can be improved for tomorrow.
    James Langabeer, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • This month is basically like a bridge between the tumultuousness of August’s eclipses and the soul-searching that October’s Venus Retrograde will bring.
    Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • There was a lot of soul-searching on my part for all of the right songs.
    Devon Ivie, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Whether the loss of Jason Arday has prompted any self-reflection for a notoriously ruthless industry remains to be seen, but the headlines about the Sussexes’ move back to Britain have been — so far — surprisingly lukewarm.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The record leaned into self-reflection and self-preservation informed by a divorce, his introduction to fatherhood, and an exploration of his Mexican roots through his signature alternative R&B sound.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The purpose of this exercise is not to match your paradigm perfectly but to give you a thematic lens for self-observation.
    Liz Tran, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Anyone who has tracked their daily steps or worn a glucose monitor can testify that self-observation works.
    Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • This majestic sequence delivers a lifetime’s outpouring of love’s inadequacies and frustrations, of grief and regret, of gratitude along with candid acceptance of loss, and of self-questioning that never shakes the foundations of the family—her ferocious commitment to the children.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
  • After long periods of grief, reflection and painful self-questioning, most of the families interviewed by The Charlotte Observer no longer seem interested in reducing their children’s deaths to any one thing.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • Yet Na also insists on treating his aliens as objects of contemplation and pathos—reflections of our own misshapen humanity.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Sister Mary Grace, 76, loves the opportunity for contemplation and the chance to express it artistically.
    Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • While there’s still some of the angst and self-searching of Girls, Too Much is classic odd-couple romcom.
    James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 July 2025
  • But such athletic excess is part of what makes this album admirable, as is a sense of spiritual and intellectual hunger that’ll be quickly recognizable to anyone familiar with the Ziggy Stardust/Zen Arcade/Tommy school of self-searching rock epic.
    Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Self-scrutiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-scrutiny. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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