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
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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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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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as in meekness
the absence of any feelings of being better than others
in a display of true humbleness he gave much of the credit for his discovery to others
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humble
Dave Quinn, People.com, 23 June 2025
Bradley, a Vermont native and a humble representative of New England golf on the PGA Tour, always has a good crowd behind him at The Travelers, the only PGA Tour event in the region.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 June 2025
The strength of the Haitian people is humbling, but resilience cannot be their only refuge.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Adjective
Since its humble beginnings as a spontaneous late-night strip show at a New York City bar, Broadway Bares has grown into a full-scale production featuring elaborate costumes, themed choreography, celebrity cameos and dozens of Broadway performers who bare (almost) all in the name of a good cause.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 23 June 2025
Bradley, a Vermont native and a humble representative of New England golf on the PGA Tour, always has a good crowd behind him at The Travelers, the only PGA Tour event in the region.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
Verb
But while the Red Sox ultimately got the last laugh, Judge offered yet another reminder of his greatness Friday, getting off the mat after three humbling at bats and leveling Crochet with a breathtaking knockout blow.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 June 2025
The strength of the Haitian people is humbling, but resilience cannot be their only refuge.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Adjective
-
Raj’s meek voice could faintly be heard against the jarring cacophony of honking horns, street performers, and the chatter of street vendors and passersby.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
24 June 2025
-
From small and relatively meek beginnings, proboscideans eventually evolved into herbivorous, elephantine giants with a broad array of different tusk arrangements and shapes.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Al Bello/Getty Images Outside of the Giants' organization, expectations are low.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
Does the Trump administration really want to sink that low?—
Louis Balsamo,
Baltimore Sun,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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Miller sought to shield these women, her suit said, and as a result she was humiliated, harassed and ultimately forced out of her job by Spitzer and Nelson.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
20 June 2025
-
As Howard begins to humiliate Matt, the camera follows all angles of the table, making sure to showcase everyone’s reactions.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
Most Canadians want uncomplicated lives, a desire for calm that can be misinterpreted by louder people as meekness.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Standing next to a record player in a sports jacket and turtleneck, Kaufman, with a kind of bulging meekness, a glisteningly gleeful timidity, puts the needle on the record.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
About half of organizations using AI in key functions report cost savings or revenue gains, but these benefits are often modest—typically less than 10% cost savings or under 5% revenue increase.—
Karen Kim,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
-
One study found modest reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with cardamom supplementation.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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His rookie year ended with a rather disappointing negative-yardage effort in a lost to the lowly New York Jets.—
C. Isaiah Smalls II,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2025
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Since arriving in Houston, Udoka has rapidly reshaped the Rockets’ culture and internal expectations, transforming them from a lowly franchise that had won just 22 games to a team with consecutive winning seasons.—
Kelly Iko,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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These complaints, however, are one in the same: a kind of abject judgment on what audiences deem as acceptable for a public figure.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
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They’re left with nothing other than abject fear about what comes next.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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