humble 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhəm-bəl How to pronounce humble (audio)
Definition of humblenext
1
as in meek
not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness a medical scientist who remained remarkably humble even after winning the Nobel Prize even though she'd been proven wrong, her attitude was still far from humble

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2
as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank a humble peasant girl who claimed she was chosen by God to restore the French king to his throne

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3
as in servile
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness please accept my humble thanks for this unexpected favor

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humble

2 of 2

verb

ˈhəm-bəl How to pronounce humble (audio)
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes Philip was utterly humbled by a crushing defeat in the first round of the state chess tournament

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of humble
Adjective
The humble barcode has done its job brilliantly for 50 years, says Kate Hardcastle, business strategist and author of The Science of Shopping. — HubSpot, 1 Oct. 2026 But lately the humble sardine has been getting lots of social media love in the form of TikTok videos tagged #sardinemaxxing. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
To have the opportunity to make my directorial debut here in California, surrounded by an extraordinary cast and crew, is both incredibly emotional and deeply humbling. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026 Warren, on the other hand, was humbled last week in a 35-point defeat to Fountain Lake. — Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
  1. meek
  2. low
  3. servile
  4. humiliate
  5. modest
  6. lowly
  7. abject
  8. discredit
Adjective
  • The visitors were meek and the poorest performers of the four opponents, but how much of that is down to the way Leeds played?
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Moore plays Mona Friedman, a meek housewife who hasn’t sung in front of anyone since church choir and is unexpectedly cast in a community-theater production — then transforms into a zealous method actor willing to wage war over a marginal role.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of meek
Adjective
  • Jaguar also built a car with long, low proportions that are unique in its segment and required a new platform.
    — Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Set the scene For a hotel with some of the priciest rooms in the city, Capella Bangkok feels decidedly low key.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of low
Adjective
  • Both appeared on stage in character as VP Selina Meyer and her servile assistant, Gary Walsh.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Unfortunately, Trump takes servile flattery as his due.
    — Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
Definition of servile
Verb
  • This caution is surprising in a writer who has elsewhere been fearless about identity and America, attentive to the country’s institutional capacity to humiliate, compromise, and implicate the people who claim it.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But the Saudis, humiliated by their losses in Yemen, seem likely to lash out.
    — Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of humiliate
Adjective
  • Yet Hamaguchi turns these seemingly modest encounters into something sublime, aided by the extraordinary performances of Efira and Okamoto, who shared the prize for best actress at Cannes.
    — Elissa Suh, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Here, a modest slide-out wall module expands the width of the motorhome interior to carve out extra space for a cozy home theater-style setup with two side-facing power recliners split far enough apart to fit a drinks/snacks table between them.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of modest
Adjective
  • Now, the Raiders’ wins so far have come against the lowly Miami Dolphins, Chargers and New Orleans Saints, so this 3-0 start may turn out to be a bit of a mirage.
    — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • That robs the Giants of two of their headlining players and increases the difficulty to get results, even against a lowly team like the 0-2 Titans.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of lowly
Adjective
  • Tim, Devin and Reese, with the fourth, Lila, represented by the camera — are panicked, worried the strange-looking man is leading them to some abject horror.
    — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Ancient Mesopotamians lived in abject fear of Lamashtu—for good reason.
    — Eleanor Johnson, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of abject
Verb
  • Watching left-wing media try to discredit Caitlin Clark and her dedicated fan base has been a tale as old as her rookie season.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The arrival of Dutch elm disease not only ravaged these green spaces, but discredited the whole goal of aiming for such uniformity.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of discredit

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Cite this Entry

“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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