self-recrimination

noun

self-re·​crim·​i·​na·​tion ˌself-ri-ˌkri-mə-ˈnā-shən 

plural self-recriminations

: the act of accusing or blaming oneself

… a story whose own identity slips from the slow burn of an erotic thriller to a far deeper, more wrenching study of parental loss, self-recrimination and grief.

—Ann Hornaday

All of the past year's regrets and self-recriminations came rushing back: the sleepless nights, the anguished days.

—Justin Peters

Examples of self-recrimination in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So, too, did self-recriminations from Blake Lively and others online who had made jokes at her expense. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024

Become a Subscriber The books below, by contrast, are honest about the difficult emotional realities that accompany personal growth—discouragement, self-recrimination, fear of the unknown—and still offer hope. —Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2024

Meanwhile, Burton stands on a precipice, a man in a blaze of self-recrimination, both in the film and in his own life. —Andrew O’Hagan, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023

Even following this final defeat, Napoleon remains steadfast in his disdain for self-recrimination, blaming the men under his command for being unable to correctly execute his orders. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

This is also a movie about the complex nature of family love, and how even the strongest bonds can become entwined with regrets and self-recrimination. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 4 Aug. 2023

Caught up in a whirlwind of public opprobrium, Demna and the brand’s executives seemed unsure how to react, before finally offering up statements of public apologies and self-recrimination. —Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 1 June 2023

That kind of profound self-recrimination — especially coupled with Logan’s refusal to discuss it — surely trickles down. —Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2023

Lyrically, the song’s subject is mired in self-recrimination and despair, pleading with a lover to leave in order to find their own freedom, engendering a sense of angst and selflessness. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 15 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined above