self-deprecatory

adjective

self-dep·​re·​ca·​to·​ry ˌself-ˈde-pri-kə-ˌtȯr-ē 

-ˈde-prə-ˌkā-tə-rē

: expressing disparagement or undervaluation of oneself : self-deprecating

… an intense yet sensitive athlete with a nice touch of self-deprecatory humor.

—Sandy Treadwell

But then, in a funny, charming, self-deprecatory way he'd start telling rambling, digressive, but observant and intelligent stories that would bare his soul and crack you up …

—Ron Rosenbaum

Examples of self-deprecatory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But my favorite joke was the self-deprecatory one. — Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 15 May 2026

Prior to sharing his self-deprecatory costume, Vance marked the holiday with another one of his viral memes. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025

His TikTok alone is a treasure trove of hilarious videos, which range from self-deprecatory humor to him hopping on whatever viral trend is tickling his fancy. — Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-deprecatory

• deprecatory
• innovatory
• mediatory
• ventilatory