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
Petzold had arrived arrogant and entitled; confronted by the technical ability and imagination of his peers, he was humbled, then stultified.
—
Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
One of the revelations of this war is just how many people outside Dubai are delighting in the thought that the city-state might be humbled.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
The brothers said they’re humbled that The Golden Rose was chosen for the honor.
—Monica Garske, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
Virginia got humbled at Duke, 77-51.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
The 83-year-old actor said he was humbled.
—Jake Coyle, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
On a purely diplomatic level, China has been humbled.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
His leading role in Friday’s win was a welcome one after Wolves had humbled Arne Slot's team 2-1 in the Premier League three days ago.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Getting to make this show continues to be a total thrill for us, and we’re pumpled (pumped & humbled) that people have enjoyed the first two seasons so much.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
One of the revelations of this war is just how many people outside Dubai are delighting in the thought that the city-state might be humbled.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
The brothers said they’re humbled that The Golden Rose was chosen for the honor.
—Monica Garske, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
Virginia got humbled at Duke, 77-51.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
The 83-year-old actor said he was humbled.
—Jake Coyle, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
On a purely diplomatic level, China has been humbled.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
His leading role in Friday’s win was a welcome one after Wolves had humbled Arne Slot's team 2-1 in the Premier League three days ago.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Getting to make this show continues to be a total thrill for us, and we’re pumpled (pumped & humbled) that people have enjoyed the first two seasons so much.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbled
Verb
-
At one point in his teenage years, Diaz was publicly humiliated by the football team who forcefully shaved his curly hair.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Walz and Ellison were humiliated and could not account for their blundering.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Election experts widely discredited the review as shoddy and partisan.—
Benjamin Swasey,
NPR,
9 Mar. 2026
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After storms and flooding across Spain, Poland and the United States in late 2024, Moscow worked to claim that support for Ukraine had left countries vulnerable, stoked grievances in NATO countries and discredited Western democracies.—
Michael Chertoff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These killings—and dozens of other attempts and near misses in many countries—have disgusted decent people and embarrassed even many who hold otherwise anti-Jewish views.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The Americans were left to root for the same team that embarrassed them, and that team delivered.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbled. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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