self-deprecation.

Remarks that play down or criticize your own worth, abilities, or importance, often humorously.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• gentle self-deprecation
• humor and self-deprecation

On the page

A little self-deprecation made the speech warmer without weakening its argument.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. 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, interpretation. Commonness: moderately common.