self-effacing

adjective

ˌself-i-ˈfā-siŋ How to pronounce self-effacing (audio)
Definition of self-effacingnext
as in withdrawn
not comfortable around people he's dating a sweet, self-effacing girl

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of self-effacing Compared to Chalamet, another leading man with great range but more naked ambition than Pattinson, the British star’s self-effacing personality comes across as more endearing, Weekman believes. — David MacK, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 The biography, drawn from interviews with Altman as well as with more than 250 of his friends, family, and associates, casts a balanced portrait of a figure who is by turns self-effacing and cognizant of his unique place in history. — Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2026 The overbearing online explainers and the off-the-cuff fuzz-rockers and the nine-and-counting films and the self-effacing but also self-aggrandizing mockumentary spin out from the same very modern feeling that to be is to respond and react. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 24 July 2026 Neither can be considered a compliment but in landing on a self-effacing authenticity, Haaland is building a huge audience. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for self-effacing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-effacing
  1. withdrawn
  2. shy
  3. bashful
Adjective
  • In an era of ball-to-feet No 10s and withdrawn strikers, Welbeck stays high up the pitch, runs the channels and occupies defenders.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • The withdrawn earnings are taxed as ordinary income, the Treasury said.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 11 July 2026
Definition of withdrawn
Adjective
  • Overall, Miami is averaging just shy of seven penalties per game.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Phoebe Bridgers has never been shy about professing her love for mainstream country music.
    — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of shy
Adjective
  • The dominant movie genres of the past decade, superhero films and horror, have usually stayed, like bashful teenagers on the dance floor, on separate sides of the multiplex.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Each loving gesture and bashful smile from his aspiring girlfriend Nikki is punctuated by dread, every minute tense and unnerving as her fixation slowly takes a dark turn.
    — Mariam Bagdady, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of bashful

Browse Nearby Words

self-educated
self-effacing
self-employed
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Cite this Entry

“Self-effacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-effacing. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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