self-effacing

British  

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• self-effacingly
  adverb

Explanation

Someone who's self-effacing is shy and likes to stay out of the spotlight, shunning attention and praise. To efface something is to erase it, so to be self-effacing is to try to remove yourself from various situations, especially ones that draw attention. If someone says you did a great job and you say, "It was nothing," that's self-effacing. It is usually considered a positive quality, since it's the opposite of being cocky, egotistical, and attention-hogging. The root of effacing is the Old French word esfacier, which means "to wipe out or destroy," literally "to remove the face."

Related Words

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