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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Recent Examples of self-deprecating
Cashier have a bit of a self-deprecating streak.
—
Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
Step into Lucy Score’s romance universe Score is goofy and humble, ready with a dirty or self-deprecating joke.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Maas was quick to clarify — with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor — that the confusion was entirely unintentional.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Perhaps that was why Gallagher was relatively self-deprecating in his acceptance speech, paying tribute to his brother and band members.
—Mark Sutherland, Variety, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
Step into Lucy Score’s romance universe Score is goofy and humble, ready with a dirty or self-deprecating joke.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Maas was quick to clarify — with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor — that the confusion was entirely unintentional.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Perhaps that was why Gallagher was relatively self-deprecating in his acceptance speech, paying tribute to his brother and band members.
—Mark Sutherland, Variety, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
-
There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with this, but outsourcing the writing to professionals only underscored the degree to which this humble document, once meant to blunt the puffery of the cover letter, had now become the leading weapon in the job seeker’s arsenal.—
Stephen Mihm,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Sporks have come a long way from their humble beginnings in Rhode Island, and as the traveler’s preferred eating utensil, they’re destined to go ever further.—
James Stout,
Outside,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That included a meek loss in Toronto, with Murray not participating on the second night of a back-to-back following a blowout loss at Detroit.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The other, meek and mild-mannered.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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