as in humble
formal
meant to make yourself or the things you do seem unimportant
He spoke in a self-deprecating tone. self-deprecating humor
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-deprecating
Burns recalls with a self-deprecating smile.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 20 Jan. 2026
But Skarsgård has already had a moment, winning the Golden Globe and giving perhaps the night’s best speech, self-deprecating — talking about how raising eight children taught him how to be a bad father — and passionate.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
The bridge is the fusion of the two, being funny and tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating, but also trying to say something that matters.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
Fortunately, Jimmy is there to ease the tension with some self-deprecating humor about his failure to pass the civil-service tests.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
IEEE Spectrum, 20 Jan. 2026
But Skarsgård has already had a moment, winning the Golden Globe and giving perhaps the night’s best speech, self-deprecating — talking about how raising eight children taught him how to be a bad father — and passionate.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
The bridge is the fusion of the two, being funny and tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating, but also trying to say something that matters.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
Fortunately, Jimmy is there to ease the tension with some self-deprecating humor about his failure to pass the civil-service tests.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
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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
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Martin, 52, is the harried face of this meek resistance.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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But savings were meek, with the largest dip found in Stockton, off only 4% last year vs up 2% in 2024 and 36% over the previous four years.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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