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
He’s also invested his protagonist with a self-deprecating sense of humor that keeps his pessimism from veering into maudlin territory.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
Critics loved to ding his work for its lack of cinematic pizzazz, and Smith himself could be self-deprecating about the fact that his movies never looked particularly great.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 June 2025
Cole can also be self-deprecating, as became evident in an interview about the documentary for the Sounds of Film with Tom Needham podcast.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 5 June 2025
In his self-deprecating manner, Macchio attributed the series’ success in large part to the screenwriters, directors and his original costar, Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi, LaRusso’s mentor.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 30 May 2025
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Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
Critics loved to ding his work for its lack of cinematic pizzazz, and Smith himself could be self-deprecating about the fact that his movies never looked particularly great.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 June 2025
Cole can also be self-deprecating, as became evident in an interview about the documentary for the Sounds of Film with Tom Needham podcast.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 5 June 2025
In his self-deprecating manner, Macchio attributed the series’ success in large part to the screenwriters, directors and his original costar, Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi, LaRusso’s mentor.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 30 May 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 17 Jun. 2025.
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