self-deprecating

From self- +‎ deprecating.

• IPA^(key): /ˌsɛlfˈdɛpɹəˌkeɪtɪŋ/

self-deprecating (comparative more self-deprecating, superlative most self-deprecating)

1. Expressing disapproval of oneself.

   Synonym: self-deprecatory

   • 2004, Kate Fox, “Rules of Sex”, in Watching the English, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 325:

     Mention sex, and the English humour reflex kicks in. And we all know that self-deprecating jokes are the most effective, the most widely appreciated form of humour.

   • 2018 February 18, “Self-deprecating humour linked to greater psychological wellbeing, study finds”, in The Independent‎^[1]:

     One of the most defining outcomes of the study was the acknowledgement that the use of self-deprecating humour doesn’t necessarily have negative connotations, as previously thought.

2. unassuming, modest

• The extension to the sense modest perhaps arose from a confusion between deprecate and depreciate, and in the common context of self-deprecating humour either sense could be meant. However, the use of this word in contexts such as a self-deprecating manner, where there is no deprecation, is now widespread.

self-deprecating

1. present participle and gerund of self-deprecate