effacement

IPA/ˌself.ɪˈfeɪs.mənt/
IPA/ˌself.ɪˈfeɪs.mənt/

effacement — 名詞

1. the deliberate habit of staying in the background and not seeking attention or p

1.名詞C2
釋義

謙退

不刻意引人注目的特質

the deliberate habit of staying in the background and not seeking attention or praise from others

例句

Takeshi's natural effacement meant he rarely spoke up in meetings, even with useful ideas.

Takeshi 天性的謙退，使他在會議上極少發言，即使有好點子也一樣。

possessive + effacement as a personal trait

The CEO's effacement surprised everyone — she sat at the back during the company photo.

那位執行長的謙退作風讓大家很驚訝——公司合照時，她坐在最後一排。

contrast between powerful role and self-effacing behaviour

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

❌The company's effacement of all its debt was welcome news.
✅The company's elimination of all its debt was welcome news.
💡Effacement refers to modest self-restraint, not to removing or erasing something.
❌Her effacement was caused by fear of public speaking.
✅Her effacement was a deliberate choice, not a sign of fear.
💡Effacement implies an intentional decision to avoid attention, not an involuntary reaction.