She had certainly not expected the young, polite, affable and self-effacing young man who turned up at dinner.

Vincent Torres, a meek, self-effacing old man, raised his hand.

He is such a self-effacing man that even Francine's boyfriend doesn't mind sharing her with him.

I think you'll find he's not quite as self-effacing and a man of the people as some people might imagine.

"He is just a great, self-effacing man having this wonderful late-in-life success," she said.

"And his son was an extremely private and self-effacing man."

He looked like he always did; a short, almost self-effacing man wrapped in a great black cloak.

A warm, self-effacing man, he was the consummate professional and trade unionist.

He is a quiet, self-effacing man with deep internal strength.

If West were a less self-effacing man, you might think that he took pride in confounding others' presumptions.