humble

adjective

hum·ble | \ ˈhəm-bəl also chiefly Southern ˈəm-

humbler\ˈhəm-b(ə-)lər

\; humblest\ˈhəm-b(ə-)ləst

Definition of humble

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : not proud or haughty : not arrogant or assertive

2 : reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission a humble apology

3a : ranking low in a hierarchy or scale : insignificant, unpretentious

b : not costly or luxurious a humble contraption

humble

verb

hum·ble | \ ˈhəm-bəl also chiefly Southern ˈəm-

humbled; humbling\ˈhəm-b(ə-)liŋ

Definition of humble (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to make (someone) humble (see humble entry 1) in spirit or manner

2 : to destroy the power, independence, or prestige of

Other Words from humble Synonyms & Antonyms Humility: Its Use and Meaning More Example Sentences Learn More about humble

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Other words from humble

Adjective

humbleness \ˈhəm-bəl-nəs

\ noun

humbly \ˈhəm-blē

\ adverb

Verb

humbler \ˈhəm-b(ə-)lər

\ noun

humblingly \ˈhəm-b(ə-)liŋ-lē

\ adverb

Humility: Its Use and Meaning

Humility means “the state of being humble.” Both it and humble have their origin in the Latin word humilis, meaning "low."

Humble can be used to describe what is ranked low by others, as in "persons of humble origins." People also use the word of themselves and things associated with themselves; if you describe yourself as "but a humble editor" or refer to your home as your "humble abode," you are saying that neither you nor your home is very impressive.

Like this latter use of humble, the kind of lowness expressed in the word humility is typically one chosen by oneself. Here are some examples of humility in use:

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
— Proverbs 11:2

A sudden humility descended upon the King. He felt, as so many men were to feel in similar circumstances in ages to come, as though he were a child looking eagerly for guidance to an all-wise master—a child, moreover, handicapped by water on the brain, feet three sizes too large for him, and hands consisting mainly of thumbs.
— P. G. Wodehouse, The Clicking of Cuthbert, 1922

Eating grits and fatback for breakfast and washing up every morning in cold water from a hydrant in the backyard helped one learn humility and humanity.
— Julius Lester, Falling Pieces of Broken Sky, 1990

I realize now that she had an awareness of the nature of the order of life, and of the necessity of living with and respecting that order. With this respect comes a necessary humility that we, with our early-21st-century chutzpah, lack at our peril.
— Bill Joy, Wired, April 2000

Who has not gazed at the night sky, mouth slightly agape? The experience is so common, its effects so uniform, that a standard vocabulary has evolved to describe it. Invariably we speak of the profound humility we feel before the enormity of the universe. We are as bits of dust in a spectacle whose scope beggars the imagination, whose secrets make a mockery of reason.
— Edwin Dobb, Harper's, February 1995

If leadership has a secret sauce, it may well be humility. A humble boss understands that there are things he doesn't know. He listens: not only to the other bigwigs in Davos, but also to the kind of people who don't get invited, such as his customers.
—The Economist, 26 Jan. 2013

For many, the lowness in both humility and humble is something worth cultivating.

Examples of humble in a Sentence

Adjective

Humble though it may be, and about as glamorous as a galosh, it is a fish that has shaped the political and social history of Europe like no other, with the possible exception of cod. —R. W. Apple, Jr., New York Times, 30 Oct. 2002 She would not come closer to me, as much as I thought she wished to, hungering not for anything like love but for plain, humble succor. —Chang-rae Lee, A Gesture Life, 1999 Women are the organizing soft-centered socialists, the nice people, the sugar-and-spice lot, identifying with the poor and humble; men are snips and snails and puppy-dog tails, and rampant, selfish, greedy capitalists. —Fay Weldon, Harper's, May 1998 Despite all his achievements, he has remained humble. He is very humble about his achievements. She is too humble to let praise go to her head. Please accept my humble apologies. Her humble suggestion is that we review the data more carefully. He comes from a humble background. She's not ashamed of her humble beginnings.

Verb

Cuba's reliance on tourism is a somewhat humbling turn for the revolution, which has long prided itself on producing topflight doctors and teachers—not concierges. —Tim Padgett, Time, 22 Dec. 2003 … audiences loved to see villains punished and arrogant young men humbled, they did not want to fidget and squirm through mea culpas before the final scene. —Elaine Showalter, Civilization, April/May 1999 It frightened and humbled him but also made him feel darkly charmed. —Don DeLillo, Mao II, 1991 Her success has humbled her critics. Last year's champion was humbled by an unknown newcomer.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

That Johnson, a humble family man of faith who turns the other cheek, was moved to criticize the USGA says volumes. — Steve Dimeglio, USA TODAY, "Zach Johnson blasts carnage at U.S. Open; USGA admits greens were too fast," 16 June 2018 The carrier has come a long way since its humble, ad hoc beginnings. — Matthew Moss, Popular Mechanics, "How the American Aircraft Carrier Became King of the Seas," 22 May 2018 Cohen, a humble man, might have been embarrassed by the sometimes cultish reverence. — Dan Bilefsky, New York Times, "Is Leonard Cohen the New Secular Saint of Montreal?," 6 Mar. 2018 The answer was classic A.D. The humble big man is an outlier in today's selfie society. — Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com, "Anthony Davis fueling improbable Pelicans' playoff push with his historic dominance," 27 Feb. 2018 Still, Beside Bowie paints a powerful portrait of a humble man from Hull, England whose appeal and talent was large, varied, and ultimately cut short due to liver cancer. — Katherine Turman, Billboard, "'Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story' Gives Undervalued 'Ziggy Stardust' Guitarist His Due," 5 Feb. 2018 To underline these humble origins, Ditko drew a panel where Dillon’s mask is ripped off. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Steve Ditko’s Ordinary People," 10 July 2018 But Martinez’s humble, quiet approach has transformed a national team that has long underachieved, taking it to the World Cup semifinals for just the second time. — Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "How Belgium and France match up in the World Cup semifinal," 9 July 2018 Granqvist is something of a throwback for Sweden - humble, hardworking, and decidedly Viking in appearance. — SI.com, "Warning Signs: How Sweden's Humble History Makers Survived and Thrived in the Post-Zlatan Era," 6 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The two have already been humbled by the support they’ve been given. — Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Here's how you can help a Vietnam War veteran who became paralyzed after falling down stairs," 3 July 2018 In that single interaction, the doll is unmoved but our narrator is humbled. — Sadia Hassan, Longreads, "Silence is a Lonely Country: A Prayer in Twelve Parts," 13 July 2018 England were humbled in South Africa, France were bloodied in New Zealand and Ireland went down in Australia last weekend. — CNN, "Rugby's southern hemisphere sides strike first blows," 11 June 2018 Correa, Didi, Segura, we’re all doing big things this year overall, so to be starting, I’m truly humbled. — Eduardo A. Encina, baltimoresun.com, "As trade talk swirls around him, Orioles' Manny Machado elected to start All-Star Game," 8 July 2018 Tragedies like these unfortunately catapult people into becoming activists, and we are humbled to share the White family's crusade for answers in Sugar Town. — Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter, "Investigation Discovery Explores Controversial Death of Black Man While in Police Custody (Exclusive)," 26 June 2018 Even Belichick, the greatest of his era, perhaps the greatest ever, was humbled by his failures in Cleveland. — Zak Keefer, Indianapolis Star, "Has expected Colts coach Josh McDaniels learned from his failures in Denver?," 17 Jan. 2018 Nonetheless, Condo is humbled by the comparisons and says the father of Ccubism has played a major role in his work. — Dorian May, A-LIST, "Portrait of an Artist: George Condo," 5 July 2018 The combination of feeling pretty unsettled and humbled by the election and finding that audio was really powerful. — Recode Staff, Recode, "The New York Times’ The Daily podcast host Michael Barbaro talks with Kara Swisher," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'humble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.