self-deprecating
adjective
self-dep·re·cat·ing
ˌself-ˈde-pri-ˌkā-tiŋ 
: tending or serving to disparage or undervalue oneself
self-deprecating humor
He is far too self-deprecating … to assume the persona of a celebrity.—
Eve MacSweeney
Eve MacSweeney
self-deprecatingly
adverb
… his own informal cluster of American dissident scholars, which self-deprecatingly calls itself the "consolation club" …
—Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer
Examples of self-deprecating in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Finally, Green Day did respond, and in characteristically cheeky and slightly self-deprecating fashion.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025
The eldest daughter of King Frederik and Queen Mary turns 18 on April 21 and surprised the audience by cracking a self-deprecating joke at the start of her remarks at Aarhus City Hall on April 11.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Each self-deprecating joke gained momentary acceptance from white classmates who wanted permission to laugh at my difference without feeling guilty.
—Philippa Pham Hughes, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Jay Ryan pulls off a complete 180 from his malevolent-gangster work in Top of the Lake and, as polar researcher Alistair, nails the series’ self-deprecating white-guy jokes.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
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Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025
The eldest daughter of King Frederik and Queen Mary turns 18 on April 21 and surprised the audience by cracking a self-deprecating joke at the start of her remarks at Aarhus City Hall on April 11.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Each self-deprecating joke gained momentary acceptance from white classmates who wanted permission to laugh at my difference without feeling guilty.
—Philippa Pham Hughes, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Jay Ryan pulls off a complete 180 from his malevolent-gangster work in Top of the Lake and, as polar researcher Alistair, nails the series’ self-deprecating white-guy jokes.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-deprecating. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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