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
Ever a student of Yankee lore, Judge was clearly humbled by the distinction.
—
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
One hundred days ago, I was humbled to once again take the oath of office as mayor of Waukegan.
—Sam Cunningham, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
It can be argued that because individuals are exposed to so much coverage of Musk and Zuckerberg—and are aware of their wealth—this desire for them to be humbled is intensified.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Where so much of contemporary comedy is steeped in certainty, trading jokes for smart points, Wood is interested in the moments that leave us humbled and confused.
—Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Walz, could you at least be humbled by the number, $610 million and counting?
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
And arguably most importantly, humbled her.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2025
Such conditions have driven some of the state’s worst fires and humbled even the best firefighting efforts, grounding aircraft and frustrating containment efforts as embers fly.
—Jovi Dai, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025
Little more than 24 hours after being humbled by its cross-state rival, Tampa Bay was hungry to make amends Monday night.
—Eduardo A. Encina, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
One hundred days ago, I was humbled to once again take the oath of office as mayor of Waukegan.
—Sam Cunningham, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
It can be argued that because individuals are exposed to so much coverage of Musk and Zuckerberg—and are aware of their wealth—this desire for them to be humbled is intensified.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Where so much of contemporary comedy is steeped in certainty, trading jokes for smart points, Wood is interested in the moments that leave us humbled and confused.
—Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Walz, could you at least be humbled by the number, $610 million and counting?
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
And arguably most importantly, humbled her.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2025
Such conditions have driven some of the state’s worst fires and humbled even the best firefighting efforts, grounding aircraft and frustrating containment efforts as embers fly.
—Jovi Dai, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025
Little more than 24 hours after being humbled by its cross-state rival, Tampa Bay was hungry to make amends Monday night.
—Eduardo A. Encina, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbled
Verb
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Inter Miami, clearly humiliated, let out its frustrations after the final whistle, when several Miami players, led by Luis Suarez, got into a scuffle with Seattle players.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
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Having been humiliated at a college party, proceeds to use his tech skills to hack into the accounts of his peers and get revenge.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Eventually, however, Lowell’s ideas were discredited—Schiaparelli, once an ally, renounced them—and the world moved on.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
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By the end of the year, the cold fusion bubble had burst, the technology was discredited, and the concept relegated to bad spy fiction and conspiracy theories.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The bad weather may have been a better option for the Dolphins as they were embarrassed by the Colts, with a final score of 30-8.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
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Getty Images The President fired the nation’s top labor statistician because the jobs numbers embarrassed him.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbled. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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