humiliate
verb
hu·mil·i·ate
hyü-ˈmi-lē-ˌāt 
yü-
humiliated; humiliating
: to reduce (someone) to a lower position in one's own eyes or others' eyes : to make (someone) ashamed or embarrassed : mortify
hoped they wouldn't humiliate themselves in their next game
accused her of humiliating him in public
feel so humiliated
Examples of humiliate in a Sentence
I hope I don't humiliate myself during the presentation.
He accused her of trying to humiliate him in public.
She was hurt and deeply humiliated by the lies he told about her.
Recent Examples on the Web
We were crushed, humiliated, and broken, after our city was destroyed, occupied and erased from existence.
—
Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Alarr’s unwelcome physical touching made Plaintiff feel offended, uncomfortable, humiliated and intimidated.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
In Ye Olden Times Scotland, Lovat sits at his supper table, still spiraling about how he was mocked and humiliated at the tynchal.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
They got humiliated in their two Division Series games in Toronto, got a reprieve in the form of Aaron Judge’s all-around brilliance in Game 3 and then got eliminated by the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, losing 5-2 in Game 4 while showing no sudden-death fight whatsoever.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
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Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Alarr’s unwelcome physical touching made Plaintiff feel offended, uncomfortable, humiliated and intimidated.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
In Ye Olden Times Scotland, Lovat sits at his supper table, still spiraling about how he was mocked and humiliated at the tynchal.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
They got humiliated in their two Division Series games in Toronto, got a reprieve in the form of Aaron Judge’s all-around brilliance in Game 3 and then got eliminated by the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, losing 5-2 in Game 4 while showing no sudden-death fight whatsoever.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
Cite this Entry
“Humiliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humiliate. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
humiliate
verb
hu·mil·i·ate
hyü-ˈmil-ē-ˌāt
yü-
humiliated; humiliating
: to cause a loss of pride or self-respect : humble
Etymology
from Latin humiliatus "made to lose pride or self-respect," from earlier humiliare "to make low or humble," from humilis "low, humble," from humus "earth"
Word Origin
In modern English we sometimes say that a person who has been criticized or humiliated has been put down. We speak as though the person had actually been forced to the ground or made to bow down in front of someone else. The origins of the word humiliate itself also suggest the idea of physically putting someone down to the ground. Humiliate can be be traced back to the Latin humus, meaning "earth, ground." From humus came the Latin adjective humilis, meaning "low, humble," which later gave rise to the verb humiliare, meaning "to make low or humble." The English humiliate derives from Latin humiliare.
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