If you are self-critical, you look at your own acts and your own character and you judge them — especially after you have done something you think is bad. You are the judge, and you are also the person being judged. In school and at work this can sound healthy: you notice the mistake, you say so, you try to do better. Though actually, people also use it when the judging has gone too far, and a self-critical person talks down every small win, as if nothing they do is ever enough. The word is fairly formal. You meet it in reports, careful conversation, and talk about learning or feelings, more than in playground chat. It describes a habit or a moment, not a job. It is not the same as being critical of other people; the target is you. And it is not automatically wise: seeing yourself clearly is one thing; beating yourself as a sport is another. The noun beside it is self-criticism.