Meaning & use

self-effacing

adjective·Advanced

Not seeking attention or praise for oneself; modest about one's own abilities or achievements.

See it in a sentence

Despite winning the award, she remained self-effacing and credited her whole team.

His self-effacing humor made him instantly likable to everyone at the party.

A note on using this word

Self-effacing is generally a compliment, but taken to an extreme it can suggest someone undervalues their own worth.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

boastfularrogant

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