self-effacing

adjective

self-ef·​fac·​ing ˌself-i-ˈfā-siŋ 

-e-

: having or showing a tendency to make oneself modestly or shyly inconspicuous

His passions and faith run soul-deep, his gentle wit is always self-effacing and never insulting …

—Don Gaetz

… she was an extremely self-effacing, private person who never sought the limelight and did not leave the usual artifacts that enable a biographer to reconstruct life patterns.

—Douglas R. McManis

Synonyms

• backward
• bashful
• coy
• demure
• diffident
• introverted
• modest
• recessive
• retiring
• sheepish
• shy
• withdrawn

Examples of self-effacing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a zen, self-effacing quality to the way Lyman talks about it, combined with determination. —Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024

Part self-effacing memoir, part how-to for writing screenplays, and a window into how the levers of power worked in Hollywood, this book is a stone-cold classic. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

In person, Galitzine is sweet, self-effacing, reasonably confiding. —Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024

Hawes utilizes that iconography without exploiting or sensationalizing the material; the film is emotionally restrained in a way that is almost frustrating at times but ultimately reflects the character of Winton’s quiet, self-effacing personality. —Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024

Hawes utilizes that iconography and those story elements without exploiting or sensationalizing the material; the film is emotionally restrained in a way that is almost frustrating at times but ultimately reflects the character of Winton’s quiet, rather self-effacing personality. —Katie Walsh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024

That memory still grounds Kimmel, who remains self-effacing even as he’s become the go-to host for Hollywood’s biggest night. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024

Strong emotions like pride and anger are generally frowned upon in favor of self-effacing, low-arousal emotions that forge connections with others and promote social harmony. —Iese Business School, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

While most of the ads involved the usual self-effacing celebrities asserting their cultural relevance — and some of them were crowd-pleasers and even funny — a number of them touched on some of the most divisive issues of the day: religion, the presidential race and Bud Light. —Barbara Lippert, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above