self-mockery

noun

self-mock·​ery ˌself-ˈmä-k(ə-)rē 

plural self-mockeries

: action or speech in which one mocks or makes fun of oneself : mockery of oneself

Before he retired from baseball in 1954, Mr. Garagiola was acquiring a reputation as a popular after-dinner speaker in his native St. Louis, with an endearing quality of self-mockery.

—Bart Barnes

She directed a scathing self-mockery at her own talents, looks, and intellectual efforts …

—Jean Strouse

self-mocking

ˌself-ˈmä-kiŋ 

adjective

self-mocking humor

a self-mocking smile/laugh

the author's self-mocking tone

Examples of self-mockery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first wave of these jokes often incorporated gentle self-mockery from the bourgeoisie. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024

John’s autobiography is distinguished by its candor, and its healthy balance of self-mockery and self-knowledge. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024

Rife with self-mockery, his work dares to register the brilliant, kaleidoscopic puzzle of selfhood. —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024

Moore herself has, with sly self-mockery, invoked Stephen Sondheim’s line that excessive bird imagery is a sign of a second-rate poet. —Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023

Self-deprecation is one thing; self-mockery far less ordinary. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 8 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above