as in diffident
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Recent Examples of self-critical
Unafraid to be self-critical, Fosse crafts a shockingly complex portrait of an artist whose perfectionism drives him to the brink.
—
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026
Hurts was notably self-critical of his performance in that game.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Brown, intensely studious and both self-confident and self-critical, no longer looks like someone who is thinking through four different possibilities, trying to fit into the scheme, before acting on the field.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
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
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
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026
Hurts was notably self-critical of his performance in that game.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Brown, intensely studious and both self-confident and self-critical, no longer looks like someone who is thinking through four different possibilities, trying to fit into the scheme, before acting on the field.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
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
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
-
Dosunmu always has taken an egoless approach to his role with the Bulls.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Gallego is confident that none of the pejoratives affixed to Democrats—weak, feckless, timid—applies to him.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Harry Melling stars as a timid man who is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker (Skarsgård) takes him on as his submissive.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The psychological vulnerability this creates was encountered decades ago in a far humbler system.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
-
And Scorsese approaches it all through the lens of Harrison’s humble humanism.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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 21 Feb. 2026.
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