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
For a whimsical and self-deprecating show, the last segment presents a surprisingly vulnerable plot twist that gives it a lot more meaning.
—
Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 May 2025
In contrast, those who leaned on injurious humor styles, such as sarcasm, ridicule or self-deprecating jokes, were perceived less favorably.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
However, Barbara went through with the speech and won the crowd over with her self-deprecating humor.
—Meredith Kile, People.com, 8 May 2025
If Ramy Youssef’s other TV shows, Ramy and Mo, were meant to evoke a friendly, self-deprecating Muslim man offering non-brown viewers a pull on the hookah, Youssef’s latest, #1 Happy Family USA, throws that glass pipe and its symbolic desire for cross-cultural friendship into a bonfire.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 May 2025
In contrast, those who leaned on injurious humor styles, such as sarcasm, ridicule or self-deprecating jokes, were perceived less favorably.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
However, Barbara went through with the speech and won the crowd over with her self-deprecating humor.
—Meredith Kile, People.com, 8 May 2025
If Ramy Youssef’s other TV shows, Ramy and Mo, were meant to evoke a friendly, self-deprecating Muslim man offering non-brown viewers a pull on the hookah, Youssef’s latest, #1 Happy Family USA, throws that glass pipe and its symbolic desire for cross-cultural friendship into a bonfire.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-deprecating
Adjective
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The humble statement was met with loud protests from all of his onstage colleagues, as well as Armisen.—
Jillian Sederholm,
EW.com,
4 June 2025
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The humble bathroom scale has long been overdue to learn some new tricks.—
Christopher Null,
Wired News,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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That confidence paid off as Farrow received her first Tony nomination for her role as the initially meek homebody Sharon in the play by Jen Silverman, which ran at the Booth Theatre on Broadway from September through December 2024.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2025
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According to the latest report from L.A.’s film office, production days on location decreased more than 22 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared with an already meek period in 2024.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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