To recognize a narcissist, look for these key traits:

• A gross sense of entitlement where they believe they deserve special treatment.
• A constant need for admiration or attention to validate themselves.
• A clear lack of empathy , showing little concern for others' feelings.
• Fragile self-esteem , sensitive to criticism and rejection, often reacting defensively.
• A feeling of arrogance and superiority , believing they are better than others.
• Manipulative behavior and a tendency to exploit others for personal gain.
• Consistently taking no responsibility for mistakes and blaming others.
• Frequent gaslighting , making others doubt themselves.
• They often think they are always right and rarely apologize.

These patterns become clearer over time rather than in isolated incidents and relate to both narcissistic traits and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), the latter being a clinical diagnosis requiring treatment. Narcissists also tend to dominate conversations, seek validation, and show little regard for boundaries or others' needs.