as in humiliating
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as in humiliation
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as in discrediting
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 humbling
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
Those listeners are the ones who are our backbone, which is very humbling.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
This sub is routinely very humbling.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
Coming off of the strike, and what that meant for so many people getting back to work, and then being able to go back to work on that type of set was such a privilege and very humbling.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
The Nuggets were at a loss for sweeping conclusions in the aftermath of a humbling Game 6.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Maybe a little humbling is good for Pavia.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The humbling end to a mercifully brief career should be a warning to anyone else who might try to get elected by brazenly flouting the disclosure laws.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
The humbling adjustment looked like a recognition that the company had come up short in a bruising contest of advertising with competitors including McDonald’s and Wendy’s that newswriters dubbed the Burger Wars.
—Steve Patterson, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
When his back was against the wall the last time there was a humbling loss at the hands of Hornets, Riley took the boldest of steps.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
Baseball can be a humbling game, and even the best players are inevitably going to have a night where things don’t go their way.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
Tavarez, the Monarchs’ coach, was living in Hawaii during Monte Vista’s humbling 2025 season.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026
That era started with a humbling 4-1 loss to Lyon in the 2019 final in Budapest.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
The achievement was both an honor and humbling for him, Lehman said.
—Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026
The answers will be instructive, sometimes humbling, and occasionally brilliant.
—Ann Kirschner, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Especially since the most anguishing and arduous steps often are acknowledging the issue and humbling oneself to reach out.
—Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
Looking out into the crowd seeing longtime supporters rocking out next to a new generation of L7 fans has been the most powerful and humbling part of this chapter.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 7 May 2026
To be able to see everything again through my daughter's eyes is so humbling and beautiful.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Being on an island starving is very humbling.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
Those listeners are the ones who are our backbone, which is very humbling.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
This sub is routinely very humbling.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
If these reports are accurate, this is a pretty humbling defeat of America’s goals in the war with Iran that started on February 28.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
Coming off of the strike, and what that meant for so many people getting back to work, and then being able to go back to work on that type of set was such a privilege and very humbling.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
The Nuggets were at a loss for sweeping conclusions in the aftermath of a humbling Game 6.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Maybe a little humbling is good for Pavia.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The humbling end to a mercifully brief career should be a warning to anyone else who might try to get elected by brazenly flouting the disclosure laws.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
The humbling adjustment looked like a recognition that the company had come up short in a bruising contest of advertising with competitors including McDonald’s and Wendy’s that newswriters dubbed the Burger Wars.
—Steve Patterson, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
When his back was against the wall the last time there was a humbling loss at the hands of Hornets, Riley took the boldest of steps.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
Baseball can be a humbling game, and even the best players are inevitably going to have a night where things don’t go their way.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
Brad Stevens admitted last month, after the Celtics followed up an excellent regular season with a humbling first-round loss to Philadelphia, that Boston did not have the talent to compete with the NBA’s true championship contenders.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
Tavarez, the Monarchs’ coach, was living in Hawaii during Monte Vista’s humbling 2025 season.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026
That era started with a humbling 4-1 loss to Lyon in the 2019 final in Budapest.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
The achievement was both an honor and humbling for him, Lehman said.
—Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026
The answers will be instructive, sometimes humbling, and occasionally brilliant.
—Ann Kirschner, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Especially since the most anguishing and arduous steps often are acknowledging the issue and humbling oneself to reach out.
—Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
Looking out into the crowd seeing longtime supporters rocking out next to a new generation of L7 fans has been the most powerful and humbling part of this chapter.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 7 May 2026
To be able to see everything again through my daughter's eyes is so humbling and beautiful.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbling
Adjective
-
The nadir came in 2015 with a humiliating 4-1 defeat by rivals the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as they were eliminated in the group stage.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
In 2008, after the Lebanese government attempted to shut down Hezbollah’s telecommunications network and remove an airport-security chief seen as close to the group, Hezbollah fighters seized parts of Beirut within hours, forcing a humiliating climbdown.—
Euan Ward,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
That humiliation against Macclesfield, 117 places below them in the pyramid, had not helped.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Aster has repeatedly explored high-profile humiliation and anonymous crowds who mistake vengeance for catharsis in his own directing work, making the horror filmmaker’s involvement particularly on-theme.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Orbán’s rule was marked by a sprawling media ecosystem, which for years served as a loyal mouthpiece for his Fidesz party while discrediting, defaming and intimidating his opponents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
My fear is that poor implementation and, above all, a failure to take accountability seriously will end up discrediting good ideas.—
Rachel Canter,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite the demeaning work, Laura, a local woman, has risen to middle management through unyielding determination.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Not in a demeaning way but in a loving a caring way.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Your historical victory is your reward for your historical abasement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Then to Sydney Harbour, the very scene of that embarrassing capsize exactly a year earlier, and the Americans won the event outright for a first win since October 2023.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Lutnick's voluntary closed-door interview comes amid a monthslong procession of powerful people summoned before the committee, many of whom have been subjected to embarrassing revelations in the more than 3 million pages of records known as the Epstein files.—
Graham Kates,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
In principle, there is no such thing as intrinsically degrading work; degradation is a cultural phenomenon.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
-
There’s an adjustment period — percale can feel crisp at first — but most people acclimate within a week or two and find cotton softens further with every wash, rather than pilling or degrading like synthetics.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This collection of poems—Orr’s thirteenth—bears bitter witness to environmental degradation, moral corruption, and the aging of a body and of a generation, all viewed from a bird’s eye, wrapped in the language and tone of myth.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
And a 2024 study found that a larger-than-expected proportion of physicians are leaving after fulfilling their service obligations, citing pay disparity, administrative burden, and clinical skill degradation as key drivers.—
Allison DeAngelis,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbling. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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