as in self-deprecating
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Recent Examples of self-deprecatory
Prior to sharing his self-deprecatory costume, Vance marked the holiday with another one of his viral memes.
—
Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
His TikTok alone is a treasure trove of hilarious videos, which range from self-deprecatory humor to him hopping on whatever viral trend is tickling his fancy.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Though it’s been less than two weeks since Conan O’Brien made his Oscars hosting debut, the famously self-deprecatory comedian is already discussing how things could’ve gone differently.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2025
But here, Astrov, given great self-deprecatory wit by William Jackson Harper, is more dimensional than usual, including, for once, an interest in trees that’s as painfully visceral as his interest in Elena.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
His TikTok alone is a treasure trove of hilarious videos, which range from self-deprecatory humor to him hopping on whatever viral trend is tickling his fancy.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Though it’s been less than two weeks since Conan O’Brien made his Oscars hosting debut, the famously self-deprecatory comedian is already discussing how things could’ve gone differently.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2025
But here, Astrov, given great self-deprecatory wit by William Jackson Harper, is more dimensional than usual, including, for once, an interest in trees that’s as painfully visceral as his interest in Elena.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecatory
Adjective
-
Here is the regular guy who loves shooting hoops, who is hopeless with a hammer, who loves a self-deprecating story about walking into a glass wall or almost falling off a ladder, and whose wife, Lori, is always, always right.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
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Charli’s version of herself, though, is a fascinating creation — self-deprecating, yes, and laughing at herself, but with the clinical distance of a telescope lasered onto a forming star.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Because his subject was surrounded by colorful and often unpredictable characters—alcoholics, neurotics, and blowhards—Perkins’s self-effacing qualities make for a dramatic contrast and a wealth of wild stories.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Rogers was being self-effacing.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The monster storm with an unassuming name — Fern — dumped more than a foot of snow in some parts of Indiana, disrupted travel for thousands and wreaked havoc on other parts of the country from Texas to the East Coast.—
Jen Guadarrama,
IndyStar,
26 Jan. 2026
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Paddleboards are disembarked next to an unassuming cliff face.—
Tristan Rutherford,
Robb Report,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His winning smile and enduring optimism, along with his habit of riding his bicycle to work while chomping on an apple seemed to help cement his popularity in the Netherlands, where such down-to-earth behavior is prized.—
Mike Corder,
Fortune,
22 Jan. 2026
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Joining the ensemble cast of a hit show during its third season was understandably intimidating, but Dodd has nothing but good things to say about how her costars welcomed her, calling them the nicest, most normal, down-to-earth people.—
Emily Kelleher,
InStyle,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Singer Island has a humble personality, with more reverence for its natural beauty and less regard for glamorous perfection than its southern neighbor.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
-
This humble ingredient is a powerhouse in all kinds of cooking.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The magic of the series comes in the complete buy-in of the contestants as well as Davies and Horne (Horne's character is a meek, annoying and sycophantic version of himself).—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 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,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Small in scale, devoid of ostentation, and otherwise deferential to Carmel’s forest character—Dyar Architecture’s Carmelo connects the dots between Carmel-by-the-Sea’s architectural past and present.—
Richard Olsen,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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For starters, the applicable standard of review—meaning how the Ninth Circuit will evaluate Wilken’s ruling—is deferential to Wilken as the trial judge.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
How Maye and his aw-shucks demeanor became a big-play bully in leading one of the game’s most prolific offenses.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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But there was always more to Aydın than his aw-shucks dimples.—
Moisés Naím,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecatory. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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