self-deprecation

American  

[self-dep-ri-key-shuhn, self-] / ˌsɛlfˌdɛp rɪˈkeɪ ʃən, ˌsɛlf- /

Also self-depreciation

noun

1. the act or habit of belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessive modesty, often as a form of humor.

   There’s no need for self-deprecation—you're doing fine and shouldn’t be worried about your shortcomings.

   At the luau, the Hawaiian chief's deadpan delivery, self-deprecation, and gentle mockery of tourists was hilarious.

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Etymology

Origin of self-deprecation

First recorded in 1840–45; self- ( def. ) + deprecation ( def. )

Example Sentences

She adopted a similar tonal approach to last year’s monologue, although in the year since she first treated the A-listers seated in that Beverly Hilton ballroom with kid gloves and strategically displayed self-deprecation, she’s moved up a league or two.

From Salon

Only a Brit can make such florid self-deprecation charming, and the 75-year-old Nighy’s fluency in this — along with his plummy, mellifluous drawl — makes him a perfect agony uncle: not the go-to guy for people whose lives are actually falling apart, but the one whose lived experience steers his guidance and offers perspective rather than prescription.

From Salon

A certain fond self-deprecation on the part of Sony Pictures, which made the killer-snake epic, proves a sound-enough basis for a genial comedy from the same studio about two middle-aged goofballs who decide to remake “Anaconda” on a laughable budget: $43,000.

From The Wall Street Journal

When I worked at the BBC half a lifetime ago, like all staffs at large, public institutions, we had some good gags in corporate self-deprecation.

From The Wall Street Journal

And when it happens, we can hide, or we can try to respond with a little self-deprecation and humor.

From Salon