self-reproach
noun
self-re·proach
ˌself-ri-ˈprōch 
plural self-reproaches
: harsh criticism or disapproval of oneself especially for wrongdoing
feelings of self-reproach
When she reached home she went to bed, spent with the tumult of her emotions and sick with shame and self-reproach.—
William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells
also
: an instance or expression of self-reproach
… I was greatly pained and made many self-reproaches for not having written to you for so long a time … —Thomas De Quincey
Thomas De Quincey Synonyms
Examples of self-reproach in a Sentence
he was filled with self-reproach for causing the accident
Recent Examples on the Web
Amanda’s self-reproach expresses a depressed national mood.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
Jihan was overtaken by bitterness and self-reproach.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Photo: andrew caballero-reynolds/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Festivus has its airing of grievances and the 2024 Democratic National Convention in August may feature the wailing of self-reproach.
—James Freeman, WSJ, 26 Dec. 2023
One of the many poignant aspects of Nick’s early death is that his friends have carried a lifelong sense of regret and even self-reproach.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2023
For an artist, self-reproach and self-aggrandizement can be two faces of the same mirror.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Nov. 2023
The genre is like a psychological tattoo on a culture that has lost faith in itself — like the bourgeois self-reproach in Yazmina Reza’s puerile God of Carnage that Roman Polanski filmed.
—Armond White, National Review, 29 Nov. 2023
Armond White, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
Jihan was overtaken by bitterness and self-reproach.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Photo: andrew caballero-reynolds/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Festivus has its airing of grievances and the 2024 Democratic National Convention in August may feature the wailing of self-reproach.
—James Freeman, WSJ, 26 Dec. 2023
One of the many poignant aspects of Nick’s early death is that his friends have carried a lifelong sense of regret and even self-reproach.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2023
For an artist, self-reproach and self-aggrandizement can be two faces of the same mirror.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Nov. 2023
The genre is like a psychological tattoo on a culture that has lost faith in itself — like the bourgeois self-reproach in Yazmina Reza’s puerile God of Carnage that Roman Polanski filmed.
—Armond White, National Review, 29 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-reproach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near self-reproach
Cite this Entry
“Self-reproach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-reproach. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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