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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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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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 humiliating
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as in humiliation
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Dissimilar Words
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humble
Kelsey Stiegman, Glamour, 27 Mar. 2026
That’s just a bunch of blather, says your humble scribe, who has been covering government in this state for four decades.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
That experience is incredibly empowering and humbling.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
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
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Nick Foligno couldn’t help but think of his late mother, Janis, upon being traded to Minnesota on Friday to team up with his brother, Marcus, calling it a humbling move.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Outside Online, 11 Mar. 2026
Nature on the island is humbling.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for humble
Adjective
Square silk scarves look great over dresses, blazers, and, of course, the humble white tee.
—Kelsey Stiegman, Glamour, 27 Mar. 2026
That’s just a bunch of blather, says your humble scribe, who has been covering government in this state for four decades.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
Petzold had arrived arrogant and entitled; confronted by the technical ability and imagination of his peers, he was humbled, then stultified.
—Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
That experience is incredibly empowering and humbling.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 19 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
Noun
No repeat of Chelsea’s previous humbling in the competition at the hands of Phil Parkinson.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Nick Foligno couldn’t help but think of his late mother, Janis, upon being traded to Minnesota on Friday to team up with his brother, Marcus, calling it a humbling move.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Noun
-
In the current case, the Navy now has so few vessels that the loss of even one ultra-valuable major warship would be a humiliation; the loss of several, a catastrophe.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Here, group dates often involve good-natured humiliation rituals that vaguely correspond to a romantic theme.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Your historical victory is your reward for your historical abasement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Using a combination of durable ceramic materials and specialized membranes, the filtration unit can remove extremely small contaminants while maintaining stable operation through a self-cleaning thermal mechanism that prevents buildup and degradation over time.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Coupled with a significant degradation of Iranian military power, something already underway, these objectives would constitute an acceptable end to the war.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This model is also the brand’s most durable yet, boasting an extreme IP69 rating for water and dust resistance, paired with a versatile triple 50MP camera system that captures professional-grade detail across wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto shots.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Gusty winds up to 40 mph could create areas of blowing dust along major interstates.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Bakri’s face is impassive and exhausted during this casual debasement, his voice low, and his tone deadpan, as though Salim has been forced to do all this a million times before.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Investors who are particularly concerned about currency debasement or geopolitical instability — both of which have driven gold's price run in recent years — may also find the physical gold component meaningful.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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