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
Gosling seems like a strong fit given his knack for blending self-deprecating and sometimes oddball humor with some serious dramatic chops.
—
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2026
Glaser, who is coming off two straight years hosting the Golden Globe Awards, made a name for herself with a classic blend of raunchy and self-deprecating jokes.
—Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026
Still intact, though, were her sharp wit and self-deprecating sense of humor.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Cashier have a bit of a self-deprecating streak.
—Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2026
Glaser, who is coming off two straight years hosting the Golden Globe Awards, made a name for herself with a classic blend of raunchy and self-deprecating jokes.
—Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026
Still intact, though, were her sharp wit and self-deprecating sense of humor.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Cashier have a bit of a self-deprecating streak.
—Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
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Stribing was equal parts humble, low key and polite — not at all in keeping with the image of a diva wide receiver.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
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Purple, pink, and red are more exciting, but a humble green offers an escape from what sometimes seems like excitement that never ends.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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 2 May. 2026.
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