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
-
Improbably located right across the street from their humble abode is the upscale manse inhabited by the Falconers, a rich couple (Katherine Waterson, Chris Klein) who’ve raised only child Tiffany (Fina Strazza) to be a particularly stinging WASP.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
23 May 2025
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Each pits a young heroine of humble means against the formidable, possibly sinister lady of the estate; this time, that quintessential Nicole Kidman role is played by a serenely terrifying Julianne Moore.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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Democrats, unable either to diagnose or to admit to their own failings, measured their victories in the meekest of triumphs, and seemed to have lost all sense of purpose, direction, and proportion.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-deprecating. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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