sell oneself short

phrase

To belittle oneself in judgment; to underestimate oneself and one's abilities (and thus avoid being acknowledged to the deserved extent).

“don't sell yourself short”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

phrase
  1. To belittle oneself in judgment; to underestimate oneself and one's abilities (and thus avoid being acknowledged to the deserved extent).

    don't sell yourself short

    2 more examples

    Don't sell yourself short. You're better than most around here.

    You're selling yourself short by not mentioning your years of experience.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
cry stinking fish

Translations

Finnish vähätellä itseään
  • vähätellä itseäänto belittle oneself
Greek αυτοδυσφημίζομαι
  • αυτοδυσφημίζομαι (aftodysfimízomai)to belittle oneself
Polish mieć niskie mniemanie o sobie
  • mieć niskie mniemanie o sobieto belittle oneself
Cite this entry
APA

sell oneself short. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20oneself%20short

MLA

“sell oneself short.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20oneself%20short. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sell oneself short,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20oneself%20short.

Source: sell oneself short on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.