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
Senate Republicans want to see Netflix humbled.
—
Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Few, if any, gave them a chance against the all-conquering Soviets, especially given the fact the American team had been humbled 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden just days before the Games started.
—Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
The theatrical experience has always held a unique place in our culture and I am truly humbled to be recognized with this award.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Tebow said he feels enormously humbled by the day that Jesus went to the cross.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Fuller said he was humbled that the filmmakers thought his life was worth documenting.
—Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The Patriots were humbled in the Super Bowl but have a young, MVP runner-up at quarterback in Drake Maye.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
No, we are definitely humbled every day in practice.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
We are humbled and thrilled by the response from film festival audiences so far.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Few, if any, gave them a chance against the all-conquering Soviets, especially given the fact the American team had been humbled 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden just days before the Games started.
—Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
The theatrical experience has always held a unique place in our culture and I am truly humbled to be recognized with this award.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Tebow said he feels enormously humbled by the day that Jesus went to the cross.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Fuller said he was humbled that the filmmakers thought his life was worth documenting.
—Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The Patriots were humbled in the Super Bowl but have a young, MVP runner-up at quarterback in Drake Maye.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
No, we are definitely humbled every day in practice.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
We are humbled and thrilled by the response from film festival audiences so far.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbled
Verb
-
In the dormitory, the classroom, and on the football team, where Negroes were allowed only to be linebackers, he was humiliated.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Still, Friday ranked as one of the most unexpected breakdowns in international sports since Germany humiliated host Brazil, 7-1, at the 2014 soccer World Cup.—
Bora Erden,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
All four men were subjected to police interrogation techniques that are now widely discredited for leading to false confessions.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
-
And suddenly, along came Franklin Roosevelt, along came the Depression, along came World War II, and they were just discredited.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The team embarrassed Canada, 5-0, in the preliminary round, and swept the North American neighbor in four straight Olympic tune-ups.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The case has deeply embarrassed the royal family, especially his mother, who suffers from an incurable lung illness and who is torn between her role as mother and future queen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbled. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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