effacement
effacement — noun
1. the deliberate habit of staying in the background and not seeking attention or p
the deliberate habit of staying in the background and not seeking attention or praise from others
Takeshi's natural effacement meant he rarely spoke up in meetings, even with useful ideas.
possessive + effacement as a personal trait
The CEO's effacement surprised everyone — she sat at the back during the company photo.
contrast between powerful role and self-effacing behaviour
Growing up in a big family taught Lara that effacement could bring quiet moments.
Naoko's effacement was seen as shyness, though friends knew she disliked centre stage.
During the ceremony, Vikram's effacement earned him deeper respect than any proud speech.
- modesty
broader term covering humble attitude; effacement specifically emphasises active withdrawal from attention
- humility
inner quality of not thinking too highly of oneself; effacement is the outward behaviour that may express this quality
- unobtrusiveness
very similar in meaning, but often describes objects, design, or technology rather than a person's behaviour
- reticence
narrower in scope — refers specifically to quietness or reluctance to speak, while effacement covers all forms of attention-avoidance
- self-importance
the tendency to act as if you matter more than others, which is the opposite of staying in the background
- showiness
the quality of deliberately trying to attract attention and impress people
- arrogance
an attitude of proud superiority that is incompatible with effacement
文法句型
possessive determiner + effacement
effacement + as + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with a possessive determiner (her effacement, his effacement, their effacement) to describe a person's deliberate choice to stay in the background. Unlike shyness, effacement implies an active decision rather than a lack of confidence.