self-deprecating

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 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 27, Literary Hub, 27 June 2025 Armed with a voice that creates a number of characters and family members, Bamford’s comedy takes a self-deprecating, if occasionally surreal , look at her life, and her struggles with anxiety and bi-polar and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 26 June 2025 Horowitz is a master of self-deprecating humor, and at depicting the curiosities of his central odd couple. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 25 June 2025 Many of those songs are self-deprecating, like a confession at a cantina. Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
  • His work is characterized by deep empathy, personal involvement, and quiet, humble observation.
    PhotoVogue, Vogue, 10 July 2025
  • Other successes like Mark Cuban and Keke Palmer, who similarly came from humble beginnings, echo his frugal habits and anxieties.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • Antoinette becomes a de facto leader when her meek husband crumbles under pressure.
    Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
  • The end of season 2 turned the tables on the meek Ada and domineering Agnes when Agnes lost her fortune thanks to her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) trusting the wrong people.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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