as in humiliated
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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Recent Examples of humbled
And then the little characters that are building, I'm humbled by a lot of them.
—
Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Though initially humbled by a world where women run everything and men fight for recognition, Damien adapts uneasily to the power imbalance and decides to pursue the CEO role alongside Alex.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 22 May 2026
In his second postseason series, his first against a true great, Wembanyama humbled the proud.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 16 May 2026
McIlroy, with his charming Irish lilt and very blue-collar backstory, was tailor-made for the gig but he’s been humbled by golf plenty, too.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
The Administration’s cowboy capture of the Venezuelan autocrat Nicolás Maduro, on January 3rd, prompted an airspace closure in the Caribbean, stranding many populations, none as humbled as the American tourists, gone to the islands for rest and relaxation over the winter holiday.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
But while Tom may start off exasperated and depressed, he’s soon humbled and invigorated to hilarious extremes.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Consequently, reactions to being selected on Day 3 range from anger to feeling blessed to being humbled to being motivated to be better.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Far from being humbled, Kirby doubled down publicly.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Though initially humbled by a world where women run everything and men fight for recognition, Damien adapts uneasily to the power imbalance and decides to pursue the CEO role alongside Alex.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 22 May 2026
In his second postseason series, his first against a true great, Wembanyama humbled the proud.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 16 May 2026
McIlroy, with his charming Irish lilt and very blue-collar backstory, was tailor-made for the gig but he’s been humbled by golf plenty, too.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
The Administration’s cowboy capture of the Venezuelan autocrat Nicolás Maduro, on January 3rd, prompted an airspace closure in the Caribbean, stranding many populations, none as humbled as the American tourists, gone to the islands for rest and relaxation over the winter holiday.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
But while Tom may start off exasperated and depressed, he’s soon humbled and invigorated to hilarious extremes.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Consequently, reactions to being selected on Day 3 range from anger to feeling blessed to being humbled to being motivated to be better.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Far from being humbled, Kirby doubled down publicly.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbled
Verb
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In the ongoing fight for women’s equal rights, Pawol had proved a female baseball umpire can be second-guessed, proved wrong and humiliated by technology and mocked by howling fans on social media just like a man can.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
-
Villanova humiliated UConn, winning 81-61, after building out a 31-point lead.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The case later drew attention from the Innocence Project, which said advances in DNA testing ultimately discredited the prosecution’s core forensic evidence.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
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But whereas leftist thinkers starting with Marx saw the liberal ideal as totally discredited, a mere camouflage for capitalist power, Habermas kept faith with the utopian potential of liberalism.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Some fans weighed in on his outfit choice on social media, sparking conversations about if the actor might have embarrassed his wife.—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
27 May 2026
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The Sixers were embarrassed by the Knicks 144-114 in Game 4 in front of a New York-heavy crowd in South Philadelphia.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbled. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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