self-deprecating

Definition of self-deprecatingnext
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

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 As a priest, Lamb held a calm, patient and somewhat self-deprecating sense of perspective. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Dolly Parton brought her last concert tour, Pure & Simple, to Kansas City a decade ago, a night made memorable by the country icon’s trademark self-deprecating jokes as much as her music. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 What started as an idea for a variety show about her life in late 2017 became a bawdy, self-deprecating song-and-dance extravaganza following her arrest that Christmas Eve. — Luisa Opalesky, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 That self-deprecating description opens Tony, writer-director Matt Johnson’s movie about the one crazy summer that changed a thoughtless young lout’s life; for good measure, the quote does double duty as the tagline on the film’s poster. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
  • All the joy and buzzing activity arose from humble beginnings.
    — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • It is inspired by the true story of the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême (Voisin), who rose from humble beginnings in Paris to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The visitors were meek and the poorest performers of the four opponents, but how much of that is down to the way Leeds played?
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Moore plays Mona Friedman, a meek housewife who hasn’t sung in front of anyone since church choir and is unexpectedly cast in a community-theater production — then transforms into a zealous method actor willing to wage war over a marginal role.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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