as in diffident
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Recent Examples of self-critical
Her protagonist, Maya, is a young woman with several life challenges including a heroin addiction, who has an introspective, self-critical attitude.
—
Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
But starters like left tackle Jordan Mailata have in the past been self-critical after games, saying their level of play hasn’t met their standard.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Instead, the song finds Charli being self-critical over how being in the orbit of a much famous singer (i.e. Swift) had negative effects on her mental health.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
In his voiceover, McElwee frequently addresses Adrian and eulogizes his memory, but also expresses self-critical ruminations about his part in his son’s death, how his filmmaking may have contributed to his shaky self-image and the growing distance between them.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
The first self-critical comment accomplishes those goals.
—Jay Sullivan, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Expect results or revelations now, and avoid being too self-critical.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 3 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
But starters like left tackle Jordan Mailata have in the past been self-critical after games, saying their level of play hasn’t met their standard.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Instead, the song finds Charli being self-critical over how being in the orbit of a much famous singer (i.e. Swift) had negative effects on her mental health.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
In his voiceover, McElwee frequently addresses Adrian and eulogizes his memory, but also expresses self-critical ruminations about his part in his son’s death, how his filmmaking may have contributed to his shaky self-image and the growing distance between them.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
The first self-critical comment accomplishes those goals.
—Jay Sullivan, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Expect results or revelations now, and avoid being too self-critical.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 3 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-critical
Adjective
-
This small, diffident moment is one more reason to mourn his death.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
22 Dec. 2025
-
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
Adjective
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With searing honesty, Keaton describes the rituals and emotions elicited by her eating disorder with egoless bravery.—
Hadley Hall Meares,
Vanity Fair,
26 Dec. 2025
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Among them, not least, is the modest, egoless ideal of democratic tradition captured so perfectly in such American monuments as the Lincoln Memorial, which shows not a hero but a man, seated, in grave contemplation.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This means the country’s appetite for bold exploration, which the compact between science and government supported for decades, may be gone, too—leaving in its place more timid, short-term thinking.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
30 Dec. 2025
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So that Indiana politicians could grow timid.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Singer Island has a humble personality, with more reverence for its natural beauty and less regard for glamorous perfection than its southern neighbor.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
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This humble ingredient is a powerhouse in all kinds of cooking.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Shy and unassertive, she’s often been overlooked by others and kept to herself.—
Yasmine AlSayyad,
The New Yorker,
9 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Self-critical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-critical. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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