Katy Steinmetz, “What Is 2011’s Word of the Year?” (Time Newsfeed, Dec. 7, 2011)
humblebrag—This is one of language guru Ben Zimmer’s favorites, not least because it was actually coined in 2011 (rather than taking on new meaning, like occupy). The term, referring to “bragging that masks the brag in a faux-humble guise,” was made famous through a Twitter feed of that name. A classic example might be, “Oh, I feel so violated when people run up out of nowhere to tell me how attractive I am.”
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