self-critical

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 Brooding rumination involves passively dwelling on negative feelings, usually in a self-critical loop. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025 Her self-critical editing generated a great deal of confusion. Susan Gubar june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025 Avery, a shy and self-critical perfectionist, is drawn to Taylor but wary of her reputation as a heartbreaker. Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2025 But the interview revealed Francis as a complex, brooding figure—a Catholic whose deep faith seemed personal more than theological or institutional, and a cleric who was at once self-critical and critical of the Church he had been elected to lead. Paul Elie, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025 To move forward with compassion, challenge self-critical thoughts. Mark Travers, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 Hendriksen said that some people are simply wired to be self-critical. Andrea Kane, CNN, 14 Jan. 2025 Farke discussed how self-critical Meslier is last week. Beren Cross, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025 And where the confident, outgoing Navarro was comfortable being the center of attention, Avery was a reserved bookish subversive, and quietly self-critical. Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-critical
Adjective
  • In the new film Hot Milk, the sensual but diffident 20-something Sofia (Emma Mackey) travels with her invalid mother, Rose (Fiona Shaw), to the Mediterranean shores of Spain in search of an experimental cure for the latter’s (possibly hypochondriac) illness.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
  • Today, they’re considered all-time greats, geniuses of melody and tension and originators of the diffident, philosophical mode that came to dominate American guitar rock in the new century.
    Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Otherwise, they are destined to be remembered as useless and timid wimps as the U.S. was slouching toward a dictatorship.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 June 2025
  • If the cat remains frightened and timid, talk to your vet about medications that might help.
    Joan Morris, Mercury News, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • These humble movie moments have now become the foundation of a trending dinner party format.
    Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2025
  • The company remains true to the humble ethic of hard work and friendly customer service embodied by the founding family.
    Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.
    Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-critical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-critical. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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!