self-deprecating.

Making light of one's own abilities or importance, often humorously.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• self-deprecating humor
• self-deprecating remark

On the page

He answered the compliment with a self-deprecating joke.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / human behavior. Forms: Comparative more self-deprecating; superlative most self-deprecating when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: character, behavior. Commonness: moderately common.