self-deprecating

adjective

self-dep·​re·​cat·​ing ˌself-ˈde-pri-ˌkā-tiŋ How to pronounce self-deprecating (audio)
Synonyms of self-deprecating
: 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
self-deprecatingly adverb
… his own informal cluster of American dissident scholars, which self-deprecatingly calls itself the "consolation club" … —Franklin Foer

Examples of self-deprecating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Reporting from Tel Aviv The candidate with the best chance of ousting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tuesday’s election is understated and, by his own self-deprecating admission, overweight. — Yarden Segev, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026 Oliver hosted with his charming, self-deprecating schtick, joined by comic actress and podcaster Mary Beth Barone, Indian American comic and New York Times bestselling author Zarna Garg, Josh Johnson and Roy Wood Jr. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026 Some like Bakhtiar and Marcus opt for dynamic color palettes and spicy missives, while others create self-deprecating mascots and smart brand collaborations. — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026 During his seven-minute monologue, which consisted mainly of self-deprecating jokes about his appearance and weight, Gillis had a bit about going to the gym. — Maya Salam, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for self-deprecating

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-deprecating was in 1834

Rhymes for self-deprecating

See All Rhymes for self-deprecating

Browse Nearby Words

self-dependent
self-deprecating
self-deprecation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-deprecating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-deprecating. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on self-deprecating

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for self-deprecating

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All