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
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
The humbling of the Magnificent Seven Every Magnificent 7 stock is now down double digits from its 52-week high, with the group’s losses accelerating as the war in Iran compounds on the already fraught AI trade.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Stock picking is a humbling business, Jim said.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
What's your last humbling and or hilarious moment?
—Outside Online, 25 Mar. 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 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
The humbling of the Magnificent Seven Every Magnificent 7 stock is now down double digits from its 52-week high, with the group’s losses accelerating as the war in Iran compounds on the already fraught AI trade.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Stock picking is a humbling business, Jim said.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
What's your last humbling and or hilarious moment?
—Outside Online, 25 Mar. 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
-
But the pitcher who delivered the best start of this series against the San Francisco Giants, and the one that stood tall between the Giants and what would have been a humiliating sweep, was Tyler Glasnow.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
He was too fried from holding a bucket in the air and humiliating Jeff.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Abusers often employ fear, humiliation and isolation to not only limit one’s movements but to control the outside narrative.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Niall, for his part, only comes to hate himself more as gay acceptance goes mainstream, his initial distress over his sexuality compounded by humiliation at being unable to get past that distress.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 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
-
This risks embarrassing them if it is damaged and there is nothing that can be done about it.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
And when that happens, Jamahl Mosley — a good coach and an even better man — will be the fall guy for a team that is embarrassing itself on a national scale and getting exposed in the league standings.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Cotton also gets softer with every wash instead of pilling or degrading — a durability advantage synthetic blends can’t match.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Amnesty International has said that the use of the death penalty under the new measure could violate the right to life and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as enshrined in international law.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Supreme Court handed a win Friday to oil and gas companies fighting lawsuits over coastal land loss and environmental degradation in Louisiana.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The Supreme Court handed a win Friday to oil and gas companies fighting lawsuits over coastal land loss and environmental degradation in Louisiana.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbling. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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