How to Use self-effacing in a Sentence

self-effacing

adjective
  • Bentley’s self-effacing jokes aside, the man knows his bluegrass.
    — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2023
  • If ballet was all self-effacing torture, there would be no need to wrestle with it.
    — Madison Mainwaring, The New Republic, 19 Apr. 2023
  • Yet a more self-effacing brand of charisma emerges over the course of the collection.
    — Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
  • Part of Benchakul’s feats have to do with his self-effacing earnestness.
    — Bill Addisonrestaurant Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2023
  • Rogers was being self-effacing.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • On the witness stand, Carroll was brash, funny, self-effacing and shrewd.
    — Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 2 May 2023
  • In true KidSuper form, the book is self-effacing.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The self-effacing Kress downplayed the moment.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
  • See more The sisters are funny and self-effacing in their delivery.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
  • The self-effacing Tunney wasn’t incognito to a lot of his students.
    — Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
  • The quarterback has a self-effacing sense of humor and a goofy giggle that rang out several times in his postgame news conference.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
  • On the trail, this involves a delicate pairing of self-effacing anecdote and grand proclamation.
    — Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
  • The self-effacing girl, all of 15, was horrified at the prospect, fainted and was gleefully slapped awake by her mother.
    — Michael Farquhar, Washington Post, 13 May 2023
  • Cher is a bracing read, peppered with caustic quips and self-effacing anecdotes, but fundamentally frank.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2024
  • With his self-effacing sense of humor and willingness to dive fully into any character, Paul was perfect for the part.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 18 Nov. 2024
  • Our friend the Corolla Cross gets 30 miles per gallon, a benchmark its self-effacing sedan forebears couldn’t meet just a decade ago.
    — Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2023
  • That humbleness and aw-shucks demeanor would always remain a part of him and anybody who ever met him would be blown away by that self-effacing aspect of his character.
    — Steve Rosen, Variety, 10 Mar. 2023
  • Pain banters a bit between songs, countering his bombshell performance with his usual self-effacing wisecracks.
    — Meaghan Garvey, Billboard, 2 May 2024
  • There’s a zen, self-effacing quality to the way Lyman talks about it, combined with determination.
    — Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
  • VanDerveer said in her typical self-effacing manner to start her first post-game interview Sunday.
    — Jeff Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
  • No wonder, then, that voters cling to the fantasy of the self-effacing candidate—the kind who demonstrates his worthiness of the office by not wanting it at all.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
  • These days, however, the people of Turku are proudly tooting their own horn — at least as much as the naturally self-effacing Finns are able to.
    — Tom Vanderbilt, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2023
  • Part self-effacing memoir, part how-to for writing screenplays, and a window into how the levers of power worked in Hollywood, this book is a stone-cold classic.
    — Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
  • Here, Rowlands plays Sarah Lawson, a self-effacing love addict with no sense of self beyond her relation to others.
    — Emma Madden, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024
  • The actor-director, in typical self-effacing fashion, doesn't claim to have solved the problem of the Holocaust film in making one himself.
    — Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
  • In person, Galitzine is sweet, self-effacing, reasonably confiding.
    — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
  • In execution, though, those sound principles produced a self-effacing Cartesian colossus — a massive hunk of boring.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
  • The upshot is that the self-effacing champion of the vernacular owes his career to one of Mexico’s richest families.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Nevertheless, his athletic exploits and self-effacing demeanor send a message that goes beyond eye-popping dollar figures.
    — The Monitor’s Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Thomas is atypical in another regard as the floor leader, given his naturally quiet, self-effacing manner.
    — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-effacing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: