as in withdrawn
not comfortable around people
he's dating a sweet, self-effacing girl
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Recent Examples of self-effacing
The quarterback has a self-effacing sense of humor and a goofy giggle that rang out several times in his postgame news conference.
—
Matt Barrows, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Han has used centuries of philosophy to deconstruct the current ennui of life online, but Pettman’s writing is more personal and sympathetic than Han’s aphoristic, self-effacing mode.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Pamela is a self-effacing free spirit whose honesty and abandonment cast a spell on the embittered Wendall.
—Rance Collins, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
That’s at least partly because while Keaton’s characters might have been amused by the brainy verbosity and self-effacing neuroses of Allen’s alter egos, she was never intimidated or outmatched by them.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for self-effacing
Matt Barrows, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Han has used centuries of philosophy to deconstruct the current ennui of life online, but Pettman’s writing is more personal and sympathetic than Han’s aphoristic, self-effacing mode.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Pamela is a self-effacing free spirit whose honesty and abandonment cast a spell on the embittered Wendall.
—Rance Collins, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
That’s at least partly because while Keaton’s characters might have been amused by the brainy verbosity and self-effacing neuroses of Allen’s alter egos, she was never intimidated or outmatched by them.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for self-effacing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-effacing
Adjective
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Set in Taiwan in 1988, Girl revolves around Hsiao-lee, a quiet and withdrawn girl, growing up in silent gloom.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
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Unfortunately, further discussions were heated, with no resolve, just more withdrawn behavior while the communications continued.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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The colt has earned just shy of $4 million and the only horses to beat him since his debut are likely to be the top two choices in the Classic – Sovereignty (Kentucky Derby and Belmont) and Fierceness (Pacific Classic).—
Jay Posner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
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Fletcher has 20 career rushing touchdowns in two-and-a-half seasons at Miami, one shy of tying Clinton Portis for 10th all-time in UM history.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At times, the new mom gets bashful about the attention she’s received since returning to the team.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
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Livestreaming isn’t the same as actually being there and seeing the fabric flow, the textures, the audience reaction and the bashful designer with their head down, forced onto the runway at the end of each show.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-effacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-effacing. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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