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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Recent Examples of self-deprecating
He’s also invested his protagonist with a self-deprecating sense of humor that keeps his pessimism from veering into maudlin territory.
—
Book Marks
june 13, Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
Yet behind the earnest lyrics there is also a wry, self-deprecating streak of irony.
—Katie Marie Davies, Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2025
Critics loved to ding his work for its lack of cinematic pizzazz, and Smith himself could be self-deprecating about the fact that his movies never looked particularly great.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 June 2025
Cole can also be self-deprecating, as became evident in an interview about the documentary for the Sounds of Film with Tom Needham podcast.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Book Marks
june 13, Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
Yet behind the earnest lyrics there is also a wry, self-deprecating streak of irony.
—Katie Marie Davies, Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2025
Critics loved to ding his work for its lack of cinematic pizzazz, and Smith himself could be self-deprecating about the fact that his movies never looked particularly great.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 June 2025
Cole can also be self-deprecating, as became evident in an interview about the documentary for the Sounds of Film with Tom Needham podcast.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
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The company remains true to the humble ethic of hard work and friendly customer service embodied by the founding family.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
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These humble movie moments have now become the foundation of a trending dinner party format.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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From small and relatively meek beginnings, proboscideans eventually evolved into herbivorous, elephantine giants with a broad array of different tusk arrangements and shapes.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
3 Apr. 2025
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That confidence paid off as Farrow received her first Tony nomination for her role as the initially meek homebody Sharon in the play by Jen Silverman, which ran at the Booth Theatre on Broadway from September through December 2024.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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