as in withdrawn
not comfortable around people
he's dating a sweet, self-effacing girl
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Recent Examples of self-effacing
An… The Brink of Peace: The Israeli-Syrian Negotiations An informed, thoughtful, and refreshingly self-effacing insider's study of a four-year negotiation.
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Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
From the premiere stage, Hoult recalled his excitement at discovering Eastwood wanted him for the film’s central role but also the director’s self-effacing dig at his own advancing age.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024
The actor-director, in typical self-effacing fashion, doesn't claim to have solved the problem of the Holocaust film in making one himself.
—Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
Here, Rowlands plays Sarah Lawson, a self-effacing love addict with no sense of self beyond her relation to others.
—Emma Madden, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for self-effacing 
Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
From the premiere stage, Hoult recalled his excitement at discovering Eastwood wanted him for the film’s central role but also the director’s self-effacing dig at his own advancing age.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024
The actor-director, in typical self-effacing fashion, doesn't claim to have solved the problem of the Holocaust film in making one himself.
—Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
Here, Rowlands plays Sarah Lawson, a self-effacing love addict with no sense of self beyond her relation to others.
—Emma Madden, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for self-effacing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-effacing
Adjective
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Introverts may become talkative, or extroverts quiet and withdrawn.Dr. Talia Varley, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
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But the film doesn’t glamorize Callas, and instead portrays her as sad and withdrawn.Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Kassandra starts a little shy while meeting new coworkers, who wouldn’t be a little shy on their first day?Rob Gagnon, Hartford Courant, 23 Dec. 2024
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As a result, the Predators weren’t shy about confronting Crosby.Josh Yohe, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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On a team of superstars, Salaam was a bashful giant, deferential and unselfish to the last.Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 10 Dec. 2024
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Of the three all-time men’s players who’ve dominated this era of the game—Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic—Nadal seemed to be the most bashful of the three.Sean Gregory, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Self-effacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-effacing. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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