as in to discredit
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the reigning tennis champ was humiliated on the court by a newcomer who defeated him in straight sets
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Recent Examples of humiliate
Luthor’s ultimate defeat is an unmasking that humiliates him by confirming his own worst fears about himself.
—
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 16 July 2025
Coach Ruben Amorim publicly humiliated him before a loan move to Aston Villa for the final half of the campaign.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Caught in an undignified situation, humiliated by a hot, skinnier love interest, Jessica was the latest incarnation of the funny fat lady (who is never actually that fat, merely representative of the average American woman).
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 16 July 2025
Its strict people had inconvenienced my father, perhaps humiliated him.
—Jhumpa Lahiri, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 16 July 2025
Coach Ruben Amorim publicly humiliated him before a loan move to Aston Villa for the final half of the campaign.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Caught in an undignified situation, humiliated by a hot, skinnier love interest, Jessica was the latest incarnation of the funny fat lady (who is never actually that fat, merely representative of the average American woman).
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 16 July 2025
Its strict people had inconvenienced my father, perhaps humiliated him.
—Jhumpa Lahiri, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humiliate
Verb
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But the Newsom administration has tried to discredit that estimate since the independent auditor published the report last week.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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Right-wing Channel 14 has devoted coverage in recent weeks to discrediting some reports of starving children.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Yanks finally reached the World Series last season for the first time since 2009, only to be embarrassed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in more ways than one.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
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That’s how the Detroit Lions’ social media team did Jack Jones last Thursday, embarrassing the Miami Dolphins cornerback while showing how dominant Amon-Ra St. Brown was during both team’s first of two joint practices.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For starters, the quality of natural water is degrading—creating more favorable conditions for Legionella, which loves acidic water and low oxygen levels, to multiply—as the planet warms.—
Dylan Scott,
Wired News,
23 Aug. 2025
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High temperatures cause engine oil to degrade faster, and the lack of lubrication will harm engine components if more oil isn’t added.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humiliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humiliate. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.
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