1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

self-critical

adjective

Definition of self-criticalnext
as in diffident

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of self-critical The upshot of Yale’s report, which is by far the most self-critical of the three, is that administrators bear much of the responsibility for higher education’s current predicament. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026 The comment comes as AWS prepares to publish what may be the most substantive piece of self-critical research to emerge from a major cloud provider this year. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 June 2026 Should Arsenal suffer the double disappointment of missing out on the Premier League and Champions League, the highly self-critical Spaniard may have doubts over whether to continue. — James McNicholas, New York Times, 5 May 2026 Sensitive and self-critical at times, this zodiac sign is deeply aware of how others perceive them — qualities that mirror her portrayal of Cassie Howard. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for self-critical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-critical
  1. diffident
  2. egoless
  3. timid
  4. humble
  5. unassertive
Adjective
  • As the trailer tells us, the pleasantly diffident Mona (Moore) is thrown way out of orbit following an audition for a musical show.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 June 2026
  • To strangers, Kay seemed demure, diffident, even shy, an impression her youthful appearance helped create.
    — Charlotte Brooks, Big Think, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of diffident
Adjective
  • Harris describes her as being both an excited collaborator and remarkably egoless about not being at the center of the process.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The Knicks then defined teamwork during their postseason surge past the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Spurs, coming together as a cohesive, egoless juggernaut.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
Definition of egoless
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Carla receives a voice recording that proves that one of the company’s most efficient team leaders, Madame Lalouette (Carine Rouvier), has been verbally abusing the timid Madame Morel (Sandra Le Gall).
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Known for his gruff vocals, LaMontagne first came to the scene in the early aughts as a timid troubadour.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of timid
Adjective
  • Ironically, the British school uniform has entirely humble origins.
    — Eva Wolchover, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Leather was made to feel more delicate, while other humble materials were guided by leather’s permanence and authority.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of humble
Adjective
  • This film, so seemingly unassertive, apparently rambling and plotless, has a devastating impact and aftershock.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Avoiding is unassertive and uncooperative, where an individual tends to give up on their own needs and acquiesce to the desires of others by disengaging from the situation altogether.
    — Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of unassertive

Browse Nearby Words

self-controlled
self-critical
self-denial
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-critical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-critical. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All