You’re pretty sure someone in your life is a narcissist, but you want to be sure. How can you tell if someone has Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

You can look for some key personality traits that narcissists tend to share. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a psychologist to identify these traits.

Below, we’ll make it simple for you. We’ll give you twenty words that define a narcissist. This makes it easy to identify when someone is displaying narcissistic traits.

Now, don’t take this as a sign that you’re qualified to go out and diagnose people. Instead, use it as a resource for identifying narcissistic traits.

HowToIdentifyANarcissistInOneWord?

The list below describes 20 key traits that typically indicate narcissistic behavior. Once you recognize these traits, you can be pretty sure where you stand.

Related : 7 Narcissist Hobbies that are Instant Red Flags

Once you’ve identified a narcissist, you can take steps to protect yourself.

Let’s get started!

Ego

A narcissist is by definition someone with an inflated sense of self-worth. These people have a huge ego, and they’ll make sure you know how great they are.

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Expect the narcissist to brag about their accomplishments and remind you that they are superior to everyone around them.

Selfishness

You can be pretty sure you are dealing with a narcissist when the world revolves around them. They are completely self-absorbed and have little time for other people’s feelings.

Narcissists lack empathy, so they have a hard time understanding that others have different needs or feelings than they do. This leads to some very selfish behavior.

Manipulation

Narcissists are master manipulators! They feel entitled to do whatever they need to to get what they want from you.

If that involves manipulating you to get what they want, they will do it. They have several ways to manipulate, and they will try them all.

Watch out for blaming others, feeling guilty, or playing the victim. These are all ways to manipulate your emotions into giving in to whatever the narcissist wants.

Arrogant

Arrogance is the narcissist’s middle name. They need to believe they are better than you, so they can prop up their ego.

Expect them to remind you that they are great, and that you will never be as great as them.

Arrogant

The narcissist believes that they should get whatever they want, the moment they ask for it. Their sense of entitlement is that they expect you to drop what you are doing to meet their needs.

They don’t care about how their demands affect you. In their minds, they deserve automatic compliance, and they are shocked when they don’t get it from you.

Arrogant

Along with the narcissist’s big ego comes some arrogant behavior. They think they are very special, and they want everyone to know it.

Related : Six ways to take power away from the narcissist

A narcissist’s ego can be so excessive that it distorts their self-perception. For example, they may believe they are incredibly talented, when in fact they are average.

Self-Preoccupation

It’s all about the narcissist all the time. They are completely self-absorbed, believing they are unique and worthy of recognition.

A narcissist doesn’t have time for anyone but themselves. They are too busy chasing the admiration they believe they deserve.

Control

A narcissist thrives on maintaining power and control over others. Control reinforces their belief that they are superior to everyone around them.

You can expect a narcissist to control how you act, what you wear, and who you spend time with. It’s their way or the highway, and there will be consequences if you don’t follow the rules.

Superior

Narcissists believe they are better than everyone around them, and they feel contempt for those they consider to be inferior. They will remind you that they are more talented and perfect than you are.

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Be careful not to question their superiority. If you do, you can expect the narcissist to react angrily to this perceived injustice.

Attention Seeking

Narcissists love to be the center of attention. Their fragile egos wither when they don’t get the attention they deserve.

They will go to great lengths to get attention and get angry when all eyes are not on them. When the attention is directed towards someone else, they will do something to get it back.

They may outshine everyone in a conversation, or give a grand presentation about their latest accomplishments so they can be the center of attention again.

Contradictory

This trait can be hard to spot, but it’s worth mentioning. You’ll realize that most narcissists’ lives are completely contradictory.

On the one hand, they appear to be extremely arrogant and overly confident. On the other hand, the slightest bit of criticism can send them into a panic.

This behavior occurs because behind the narcissist’s imposing facade is a fragile, fragile ego. They don’t want you to realize how insecure they actually are, so they present themselves as superior.

selfish

It’s all about me, me, me with narcissists. They don’t care how their behavior affects others; they’re only interested in their own interests.

Related : 8 Reasons Why it’s So Hard to Leave a Narcissist

This means they may step on your toes to get ahead. Don’t expect them to care if you’re hurt; you don’t really matter.

deceitful

Narcissists have no problem taking advantage of you if it means they can get their way. One way they do this is by deceiving you.

They may present themselves as being very kind and caring, only to stab you in the back once they get what they want from you.

SelfImportance

Narcissists feel inflated in importance. They believe they have more to offer than anyone else.

They believe that their contributors are more important in work environments than their coworkers. In relationships, they believe they are the stars of the show, and you are lucky that they stoop low enough to give you the time of day.

Inflated

Everything about a narcissist is exaggerated. If they do a good job at something, they will describe their work as perfect.

Related : Six reasons why narcissists put your friends against you

They will talk about themselves as the next major league star if they are an average athlete. Narcissists inflate all of their accomplishments and positive attributes to boost their self-esteem.

Arrogant

It is no secret that a narcissist has a high opinion of themselves. They will constantly remind you of how great they are.

They truly believe they are the best at everything they do and they want the world to know it.

Exploited

Narcissists are exploitative by definition. They have an uncanny ability to take advantage of you and feel no remorse.

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They don’t care about you as a person. They simply care about what you can do for them.

Arrogant

A narcissist is incredibly proud of their appearance and accomplishments. They may appear to love themselves.

Expect the narcissist to go on and on about how much they admire you. They will come out and tell you how attractive, smart, or successful they are.

If you’re not on their level, they will criticize and despise you.

Lack of Empathy

A lack of empathy is one of the hallmarks of narcissists. People with narcissistic traits may come across as cold and callous, simply because they don’t have time for other people’s feelings.

This means that if you’re struggling, they will completely dismiss your feelings. They may label you as overly sensitive or try to make you feel guilty for having feelings.

Inauthentic

Finally, don’t expect any honesty from narcissists. They may pretend to be honest and kind, but that’s just an act.

They’re just faking it to get what they want from you. It’s all part of their manipulative game.

Conclusion

Here are the 20 words that best describe narcissists. Surely, after looking at this list, you can identify the narcissists in your life and walk away from their childish behavior.