self-deprecating

adjective

self-dep·​re·​cat·​ing ˌself-ˈde-pri-ˌkā-tiŋ How to pronounce self-deprecating (audio)
: 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
self-deprecatingly adverb
… his own informal cluster of American dissident scholars, which self-deprecatingly calls itself the "consolation club" … Franklin Foer

Examples of self-deprecating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
For a whimsical and self-deprecating show, the last segment presents a surprisingly vulnerable plot twist that gives it a lot more meaning. Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 May 2025 In contrast, those who leaned on injurious humor styles, such as sarcasm, ridicule or self-deprecating jokes, were perceived less favorably. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025 However, Barbara went through with the speech and won the crowd over with her self-deprecating humor. Meredith Kile, People.com, 8 May 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-deprecating was in 1834

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Cite this Entry

“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-deprecating. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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