humble

adjective

Save Word

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 Amazon may have started as a humble online marketplace for books, but the company has since grown into an unrivaled economic and retail juggernaut. — Yoni Heisler, BGR, "Beware: One woman already lost $2,000 to this new Amazon scam," 3 May 2021 Brune was a humble and gracious leader, his son-in-law said, while often trying to nudge him in the right direction. — Dana Hunsinger Benbow, The Indianapolis Star, "Ed Brune, longtime Indianapolis Racquet Club director and tennis pro, dies on bike ride," 30 Apr. 2021 Biden speaks in civil, humble tones and treats even his political opponents with respect. — J.d. Crowe | Jdcrowe@al.com, al, "Joe Biden’s first 100 insurrection-free days: ‘America is on the move’," 30 Apr. 2021 Read more about this humble hero and watch a video remembering his historic mission. — NBC News, "Biden urges U.S. to turn 'crisis into opportunity;' India runs out of space to cremate Covid dead," 29 Apr. 2021 This is where Fernando Valenzuela’s humble roots began. — Houston Mitchell Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, "Greatest moments in Dodger history No. 2: Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier," 28 Apr. 2021 Pandesal, a plush and pillowy yeast roll coated in breadcrumbs, is an everyday staple in the Philippines, humble and iconic. — Washington Post, "Learning to make pandesal, the everyday rolls of the Philippines, is a labor of love," 27 Apr. 2021 Evin Ahmad plays our heroine Leya, a single mom and AI entrepreneur, whose intelligence and savviness is mixed with a desperation to climb out of her humble circumstances. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, "3 Swedish Shows to Binge When You're Done Watching French TV," 27 Apr. 2021 Living in a feudal Japan dominated by magic and mech technology, Yasuke is now living a humble life as a boatsman in a small town after a life as a fierce samurai. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "LaKeith Stanfield-led Yasuke anime reveals new voice cast, supernatural theatrics in full trailer," 27 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Vincent, who once sought a career as a minister and lived among peasants to humble himself, had desperately wanted to make art that reached beyond the cognoscenti and directly into the hearts of common people. — New York Times, "The Woman Who Made van Gogh," 14 Apr. 2021 Also in Group A, Luxembourg’s Gerson Rodrigues scored with five minutes remaining to humble the Irish, who remained winless in 10 games under coach Stephen Kenny. — James Ellingworth, ajc, "Portugal, Belgium held in WCup qualifying, Ireland shocked," 27 Mar. 2021 The warm reception of the film continues to humble us. — Marcus Jones, EW.com, "Stars react to their 2021 Oscar nominations: 'What a dream come true'," 15 Mar. 2021 Where else will humble celery shavings dramatically elevate a main course? — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: At Jeune et Jolie, the new and unexpected emerges," 29 Nov. 2020 But, as appears to be true of Biden, life experience also can humble a person. — Lila Maclellan, Quartz at Work, "A new book about humility in leadership arrives with excellent timing," 18 Nov. 2020 Mortgage rates move unpredictably in the weeks after presidential elections — not always, but often enough to humble any forecaster who is asked to predict mortgage rates in November of an election year. — Holden Lewis, Star Tribune, "For November mortgage rates, the picture is hazy," 7 Nov. 2020 Critics meanwhile argue that Trump’s lack of electoral, policy or military leadership has crippled his ability to govern, to respect and defend democratic norms, and to humble himself to public service. — Washington Post, "How Trump has turned the presidency into an arm of his own business," 16 Oct. 2020 To recite the history of Winged Foot is to parade through a veritable vocabulary list of mishaps and misreads — a mashup of bad things that happen to good people when a golf course isn't set up so much to identify the best player as to humble him. — Eddie Pells, Star Tribune, "Golfers, give thanks! How Winged Foot gifted us the mulligan," 16 Sep. 2020

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.