self-deprecating
adjective
self-dep·re·cat·ing
ˌself-ˈde-pri-ˌkā-tiŋ 
: tending or serving to disparage or undervalue oneself
self-deprecating humor
He is far too self-deprecating … to assume the persona of a celebrity.—
Eve MacSweeney
Eve MacSweeney
self-deprecatingly
adverb
… his own informal cluster of American dissident scholars, which self-deprecatingly calls itself the "consolation club" …
—Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer
Examples of self-deprecating in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If Ramy Youssef’s other TV shows, Ramy and Mo, were meant to evoke a friendly, self-deprecating Muslim man offering non-brown viewers a pull on the hookah, Youssef’s latest, #1 Happy Family USA, throws that glass pipe and its symbolic desire for cross-cultural friendship into a bonfire.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Finally, Green Day did respond, and in characteristically cheeky and slightly self-deprecating fashion.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025
The eldest daughter of King Frederik and Queen Mary turns 18 on April 21 and surprised the audience by cracking a self-deprecating joke at the start of her remarks at Aarhus City Hall on April 11.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Each self-deprecating joke gained momentary acceptance from white classmates who wanted permission to laugh at my difference without feeling guilty.
—Philippa Pham Hughes, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
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Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Finally, Green Day did respond, and in characteristically cheeky and slightly self-deprecating fashion.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025
The eldest daughter of King Frederik and Queen Mary turns 18 on April 21 and surprised the audience by cracking a self-deprecating joke at the start of her remarks at Aarhus City Hall on April 11.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Each self-deprecating joke gained momentary acceptance from white classmates who wanted permission to laugh at my difference without feeling guilty.
—Philippa Pham Hughes, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-deprecating. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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