self-effacement

American  

[self-i-feys-muhnt, self-] / ˈsɛlf ɪˈfeɪs mənt, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. the act or fact of keeping oneself in the background, as in humility.

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self-effacement British  

noun

1. the act of making oneself, one's actions, etc, inconspicuous, esp because of humility or timidity

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Other Word Forms

• self-effacingness
  noun
• self-effacing
  adjective
• self-effacingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of self-effacement

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-effacement

“Bluesky apology forms” even began to circulate among lefties with a sense of humor and self-effacement.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

But underneath the self-effacement often lies a healthy ego.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

While the spectacle of awards shows can be embarrassing, a cringe-making combo of self-congratulation and self-effacement, the hype always gets me in the end.

From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2023

As the interview winds down, Sharpton calls himself, with an uncharacteristic mix of self-effacement and understatement, “some fat guy from Brooklyn who lost the weight and got some stuff done.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 5, 2022

It is safer, you conclude, to choose self-effacement at this critical moment in your career.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker