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
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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-deprecating
His themes intersect with those of Kiarostami—an anti-authoritarianism that, though no less radical, is an ironic, self-deprecating one.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Gosling seems like a strong fit given his knack for blending self-deprecating and sometimes oddball humor with some serious dramatic chops.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2026
Glaser, who is coming off two straight years hosting the Golden Globe Awards, made a name for herself with a classic blend of raunchy and self-deprecating jokes.
—Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026
Cashier have a bit of a self-deprecating streak.
—Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Gosling seems like a strong fit given his knack for blending self-deprecating and sometimes oddball humor with some serious dramatic chops.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2026
Glaser, who is coming off two straight years hosting the Golden Globe Awards, made a name for herself with a classic blend of raunchy and self-deprecating jokes.
—Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026
Cashier have a bit of a self-deprecating streak.
—Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
-
The chef Gregory Gourdet, the son of Haitian immigrants, approaches France from the view of the colonies, moving from Vietnam to Louisiana but ever circling back to the Caribbean and its wealth of plantains, salt cod, Scotch bonnets, pikliz and not-so-humble rice and beans.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
After years of seeing Spirit lure leisure travellers, the major airlines, led by Delta, responded with humble basic-economy fares of their own.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
This anger crackles around him like a smoldering fire, igniting and engulfing everyone from the workers on his farm, his meek sister Férula (Fernanda Castillo), to Clara and, eventually, to their daughter, Blanca (Sara Becker and later Fernanda Urrejola), Alba’s idealistic mother.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
That included a meek loss in Toronto, with Murray not participating on the second night of a back-to-back following a blowout loss at Detroit.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
