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
When Arnett’s character attempts open-mic standup at a comedy club with confessional, self-deprecating material, a whole new world opens for him.
—
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
When Arnett’s character attempts open-mic standup at a comedy club with confessional, self-deprecating material, a whole new world opens for him.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
While the award proved to be an emotional milestone for Kimmel, the host also managed to squeeze in some self-deprecating humor.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
But in the extreme, self-deprecating reactions to compliments can prevent you from seeing the truth about yourself and your capabilities.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
When Arnett’s character attempts open-mic standup at a comedy club with confessional, self-deprecating material, a whole new world opens for him.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
While the award proved to be an emotional milestone for Kimmel, the host also managed to squeeze in some self-deprecating humor.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
But in the extreme, self-deprecating reactions to compliments can prevent you from seeing the truth about yourself and your capabilities.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
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Bold hues are the name of the game, whether this means going for the kind of saturated, chili pepper–adjacent red that flooded the runways of labels like Ferragamo or embracing autumn’s fascination with all things deep purple, courtesy of an earrings pair that pays homage to the humble eggplant.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
13 Oct. 2025
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And Jacob, who’s so humble, Mia, and, of course, Christoph.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Even though Sunday night’s game devolved into a meek, 3-1 loss, the club is still eight wins from a potential World Series title with the hopes of a nation on their collective shoulders.—
Joe Kozlowski,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Doherty, 30, is playing meek flower shop assistant Seymour in the treasured musical, about a strange and unusual plant that feeds only on human flesh and blood.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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