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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humble
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2025
His final wish: to be remembered as a humble priest, not as a figure of worldly power.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
They are humbled by the depth of their own domains.
—Rhea Wessel, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Adjective
His humble approach to people explains why many of us regardless of religion are saddened by the pope’s death.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2025
His final wish: to be remembered as a humble priest, not as a figure of worldly power.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
The visitors from the north leave KC humbled by the experience.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
They are humbled by the depth of their own domains.
—Rhea Wessel, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Adjective
-
Complacency, cowardice and meek self-preservation won’t do here and now.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2025
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Ahead of the clash with Bournemouth, Guardiola has said not even victory in the competition would salvage the poor showings in the Champions League and meek surrender of the Premier League title.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That's why the ratings, the approval numbers of the media are so low.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 May 2025
-
That high prices foretell lower prices rates more discussion as Republicans and conservatives rush to anoint former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chairman.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Adjective
-
So Alex dons a uniform, buses tables and engages in servile labor for the first time in her life.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Trump’s servile devotion to Putin becomes the new norm overnight as Republicans cower in support of Trump’s new Putin policy.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
In a display of brute aggression, cartel operatives humiliated Mexican officials by forcing the government to release Mr. Guzmán López shortly after he was captured.—
Alan Feuer,
New York Times,
7 May 2025
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But in Trump’s White House, the goal may be simpler—and harder: not getting humiliated.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 May 2025
Adjective
-
As one sign of the modest pace of progress, just 2,021 permits to install new heating and cooling systems have been filed since 2017.—
Jonathan Bowles,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2025
-
The news sent stock indexes to their highest levels in weeks, before ending the day with more modest gains.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
Opposing quarterbacks had a lowly 61.1 passer rating when targeting Robinson in 2024.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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But the season finale might find Gibbs having misgivings of a different kind, thanks to another familiar face from the NCIS family — agent Lara Macy (Claire Berger), currently still a lowly MP trying to make a name for herself.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The story of this production is like an inversion of the play’s: Oldman, 67, fondly revisiting a haunt of his youth in the twilight of an illustrious career, plays Krapp, an unsuccessful writer who, on his 69th birthday, looks back at his past self and sees only abject failure.—
Houman Barekat,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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That the ruling powers would be capable of such callousness is no surprise; their abject cruelty is as much a part of the Star Wars fabric as orphan heroes or neurotic droids or the Force.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Crucially, this emerging capability to emulate human thought–like behaviors does not confirm or discredit chatbot consciousness.—
Susan Schneider,
Scientific American,
1 May 2025
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Ministers accuse him of politically motivated investigations designed to discredit the government.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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