How to Pronounce Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Say it like this: nar-sih-SIS-tik. The stress falls on the third syllable, which is "SIS" — you say it louder and longer than the others. A common mistake is putting the stress on the first syllable (NAR-sih-sis-tik), but that's not correct.

Break it into three parts: nar-sih-SIS-tik (stress on SIS) + per-son-AL-ih-tee (stress on AL) + dis-OR-der (stress on OR). Say each part slowly at first, then put them together smoothly. The most important stresses are on SIS in the first word and AL in the second word.

It comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection. The word entered English through Greek and Latin, and now it describes someone who has excessive self-love or is overly focused on themselves.

Yes: nar-cis-sis-tic. That's four syllables total. Remember that the stress lands on the third syllable (sis), so it sounds like: nar-cis-SIS-tic.

Narcissistic means being extremely self-centered and needing lots of attention and praise from others. It describes someone who thinks very highly of themselves and doesn't show much concern for how others feel.

Yes, it's often abbreviated as NPD. You just say the letters: N-P-D. Healthcare providers and people talking about mental health often use this short form instead of saying the whole name.

The word 'narcissism' (NAR-sih-siz-um) is the noun form and means the quality or condition itself. Both words come from the same Greek myth and are used to talk about excessive self-focus.

Here's an example: "The therapist used the term 'narcissistic traits' to describe certain patterns of behavior." Notice that 'narcissistic' is an adjective — it describes a person or their behaviors, not something you would say about an object or place.