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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of humble
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 July 2025
Liberals must turn to more humble but still powerful instruments: persuasion and demonstration.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025
Will Sammon, New York Times, 12 July 2025
Machado seemed humbled by the moment, which is no small thing for him.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Adjective
Giant transitions from examining Hamed’s humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield to his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 July 2025
Liberals must turn to more humble but still powerful instruments: persuasion and demonstration.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025
Verb
When Vientos returned from the injured list, he was humbled.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 12 July 2025
Machado seemed humbled by the moment, which is no small thing for him.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Adjective
-
Antoinette becomes a de facto leader when her meek husband crumbles under pressure.—
Los Angeles Times Staff,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
-
The end of season 2 turned the tables on the meek Ada and domineering Agnes when Agnes lost her fortune thanks to her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) trusting the wrong people.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Keep clear of puddles - Driving through puddles or low rainwater areas can cause vehicles to hydroplane or skid out of control Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
30 July 2025
-
It is known for flexible plans and lower introductory rates.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
His servile defense secretary has threatened to deploy the military in other cities.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
-
Bahrain is ruled by Sunnis and has a mostly Shiite population permanently restless over its servile condition.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
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
Adjective
-
The front is modest, but the oval cutout in the back gives it extra flair.—
Claire Harmeyer,
People.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
The cognitive improvements found in studies were modest.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Giuliano Gemma stars as Scott, a lowly street sweeper whose status starts to change when Frank Talby (Lee Van Cleef, an American actor whose career got a second act thanks to Spaghetti Westerns) takes him under his wing.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
18 July 2025
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The next chance for the Twins to complete a sweep will come this weekend with the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates coming to town.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Marxism has been an abject failure when it’s been tried.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
13 July 2025
-
But Zuckerberg isn’t the only one paying abject obeisance to the president.—
Max Taves,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
This is mainly an effort to discredit and demonize property taxes, which DeSantis wants to abolish or severely curtail in Florida.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
26 July 2025
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Trump’s theory here, juiced by Gabbard, is that Obama used talk of Russian election interference to discredit Trump’s 2016 election win and hobble his first term in office.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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