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
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
All of which led to a humbling vote in 2024 that rejected a proposal to extend a 3/8th-cent sales tax to help fund the team’s would-be new stadium and renovate Arrowhead.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2026
In a way, the humbling feeling is quite welcome.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Corey Heyman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026
An asteroid this big, getting this close to Earth, happens only once every few thousand years, making it truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a celestial encounter both dramatic and deeply humbling.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Atletico Madrid exorcised their Camp Nou demons and will take a 2-0 advantage into next week’s Champions League quarter-final second leg after humbling Barcelona behind enemy lines for the first time in two decades.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Beyond the excitement of scientific discovery and seeing something few humans have laid eyes on, Gero says that the day was humbling and a prime example of what can be accomplished when people of all scientific disciplines—and whales—work together.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
Winning an award that is entirely community driven is both humbling and exciting.
—Detroit Free Press Staff, Freep.com, 22 Mar. 2026
That experience is incredibly empowering and humbling.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
So, both funny, embarrassing and, and humbling.
—Outside Online, 11 Mar. 2026
Nature on the island is humbling.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 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
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
All of which led to a humbling vote in 2024 that rejected a proposal to extend a 3/8th-cent sales tax to help fund the team’s would-be new stadium and renovate Arrowhead.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2026
In a way, the humbling feeling is quite welcome.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Hearing from people across the east coast who know and value Coco Market is both humbling and deeply meaningful.
—Corey Heyman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026
An asteroid this big, getting this close to Earth, happens only once every few thousand years, making it truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a celestial encounter both dramatic and deeply humbling.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Atletico Madrid exorcised their Camp Nou demons and will take a 2-0 advantage into next week’s Champions League quarter-final second leg after humbling Barcelona behind enemy lines for the first time in two decades.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Beyond the excitement of scientific discovery and seeing something few humans have laid eyes on, Gero says that the day was humbling and a prime example of what can be accomplished when people of all scientific disciplines—and whales—work together.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
Winning an award that is entirely community driven is both humbling and exciting.
—Detroit Free Press Staff, Freep.com, 22 Mar. 2026
That experience is incredibly empowering and humbling.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
So, both funny, embarrassing and, and humbling.
—Outside Online, 11 Mar. 2026
Nature on the island is humbling.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbling
Adjective
-
The meltdown peaked in the fourth inning when Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu launched back-to-back homers, pushing the score to a humiliating 10-2.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
The French Revolution, coming so soon after America’s successful War of Independence, had produced first the Terror and then a war of conquest that culminated in humiliating defeat.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Not long into their humiliation of the Hawks, Jalen Brunson sprawled out for a loose ball.—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
Yet, Hendry voiced no sympathy for Brown’s false arrest, humiliation and psychological trauma.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
In April 2024, Hayden agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty for violating conflict of interest law by allowing his office to issue an official press statement aimed at discrediting his primary opponent, Arroyo, days before the election.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Leadership was abusive, inappropriate and demeaning, employees told The Denver Post.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Your historical victory is your reward for your historical abasement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The Game 4 defeat – the no-silver-lining, embarrassing 6-1 loss – left a particularly rancid taste in everyone’s mouth.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Most people acclimate within a week or two, and cotton gets softer with every wash rather than pilling or degrading.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the Longwood bear’s girth illustrates both the natural world’s resilience and its degradation.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
However, the degradation efficiency of individual Bacillus strain and the single-enzyme system remains limited.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbling. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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