self-effacing
adjective
self-ef·fac·ing
ˌself-i-ˈfā-siŋ 
-e-
: having or showing a tendency to make oneself modestly or shyly inconspicuous
His passions and faith run soul-deep, his gentle wit is always self-effacing and never insulting …—
Don Gaetz
Don Gaetz… she was an extremely self-effacing, private person who never sought the limelight and did not leave the usual artifacts that enable a biographer to reconstruct life patterns.—Douglas R. McManis
Douglas R. McManisSynonyms
Examples of self-effacing in a Sentence
he's dating a sweet, self-effacing girl
Recent Examples on the Web
Pain banters a bit between songs, countering his bombshell performance with his usual self-effacing wisecracks.
—Meaghan Garvey, Billboard, 2 May 2024
Gonzalez is warm and self-effacing, with a good laugh.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
There’s a zen, self-effacing quality to the way Lyman talks about it, combined with determination.
—Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
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
In person, Galitzine is sweet, self-effacing, reasonably confiding.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Hawes utilizes that iconography without exploiting or sensationalizing the material; the film is emotionally restrained in a way that is almost frustrating at times but ultimately reflects the character of Winton’s quiet, self-effacing personality.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Hawes utilizes that iconography and those story elements without exploiting or sensationalizing the material; the film is emotionally restrained in a way that is almost frustrating at times but ultimately reflects the character of Winton’s quiet, rather self-effacing personality.
—Katie Walsh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024
That memory still grounds Kimmel, who remains self-effacing even as he’s become the go-to host for Hollywood’s biggest night.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024
Meaghan Garvey, Billboard, 2 May 2024
Gonzalez is warm and self-effacing, with a good laugh.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
There’s a zen, self-effacing quality to the way Lyman talks about it, combined with determination.
—Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
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
In person, Galitzine is sweet, self-effacing, reasonably confiding.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Hawes utilizes that iconography without exploiting or sensationalizing the material; the film is emotionally restrained in a way that is almost frustrating at times but ultimately reflects the character of Winton’s quiet, self-effacing personality.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Hawes utilizes that iconography and those story elements without exploiting or sensationalizing the material; the film is emotionally restrained in a way that is almost frustrating at times but ultimately reflects the character of Winton’s quiet, rather self-effacing personality.
—Katie Walsh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024
That memory still grounds Kimmel, who remains self-effacing even as he’s become the go-to host for Hollywood’s biggest night.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Self-effacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-effacing. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
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