self-effacing

adjective

1. tending to make oneself, one's actions, etc, inconspicuous, esp because of humility or timidity; modest

Other Word Forms

• self-effacingly adverb

Example Sentences

British Jews, some 300,000 in a population of nearly 70 million, have preferred to be self-effacing.

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“It’s more of a self-effacing humor. Their favorite target is themselves. And John did that. On screen, I felt his willingness and joy in self-effacing humor that never really veered into self-loathing humor.”

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“In a world of ego and bombast, he has always been modest and self-effacing.”

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About his famous confidence when seated face-to-face with intimidating subjects — one interview was with Albert Speer, Hitler’s chief architect and minister of armaments — Ophuls was characteristically candid and self-effacing.

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The self-effacing pioneer went about setting landmarks with a quiet humility as the first woman to:

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Related Words

• coy 
• discreet 
• humble 
• reticent 
• unassuming 
• unobtrusive 
• unpretentious