self-effacing

adjective

self-ef·fac·ing ˌself-i-ˈfā-siŋ

-e-

Synonyms of self-effacing next

: 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

… 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

Examples of self-effacing in a Sentence

he's dating a sweet, self-effacing girl

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.

But behind the self-effacing demeanor, allies of Ms. Wiles said, is a woman who can wield a scalpel. —

Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025 The outward-facing woman was self-effacing and gracious and vivacious, a compassionate listener. —

Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024 The self-effacing Tunney wasn’t incognito to a lot of his students. —

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024 Cher is a bracing read, peppered with caustic quips and self-effacing anecdotes, but fundamentally frank. —

Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for self-effacing