as in meekly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
humbly accepted the criticism
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Recent Examples of humbly
When a coalition of figures assembled at a Georgetown University forum, in February, 2023, the former Crown Prince sat humbly in a row of eight, alongside two actresses, a soccer player, and an Iranian Kurdish separatist.
—
Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Preston and Stacy have a 45-year-long romance that began humbly and has flourished as their family and finances have grown.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Successful outreach requires making effort to understand how religious adherents think, acknowledging their concerns, and humbly recognizing that medical knowledge is shaped by more than mere empiricism.
—Cory Anderson, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
The drive The test took place humbly in downtown Los Angeles, mostly – no race tracks or solo three-lane highway sojourns.
—Josh Max, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Theirs started humbly, and a bit unexpectedly.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Chalamet wore a conservative suit and tie and humbly thanked his fellow nominees, a dramatic shift in tone for the actor, who has tended toward the grandiose of late.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
In reality, many of the levees still in use today began much more humbly.
—Farshid Vahedifard, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
The couple’s story began humbly in 2017, when both worked at a grocery store.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Preston and Stacy have a 45-year-long romance that began humbly and has flourished as their family and finances have grown.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Successful outreach requires making effort to understand how religious adherents think, acknowledging their concerns, and humbly recognizing that medical knowledge is shaped by more than mere empiricism.
—Cory Anderson, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
The drive The test took place humbly in downtown Los Angeles, mostly – no race tracks or solo three-lane highway sojourns.
—Josh Max, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Theirs started humbly, and a bit unexpectedly.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Chalamet wore a conservative suit and tie and humbly thanked his fellow nominees, a dramatic shift in tone for the actor, who has tended toward the grandiose of late.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
In reality, many of the levees still in use today began much more humbly.
—Farshid Vahedifard, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
The couple’s story began humbly in 2017, when both worked at a grocery store.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbly
Adverb
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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Are members of Congress really supposed to sit meekly and quietly while the president uses the rostrum of their chamber to abuse and insult them in the ugliest language?—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The scene plays out as if the actors are politely averting their eyes while performing, without conjuring the deep moral revulsion Wolfe and LaChiusa might’ve intended.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
-
To even the score, Weir’s novel describes ammonia-breathing Rocky as smelling like cat pee, an aside the script politely omits.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Liu sheepishly turned and applauded the 17-year-old Nakai, who raced over and hugged her.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Princess Bride is superbly planned and deferentially orchestrated — its theme fits its telling.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Even as the cap increased modestly, sometimes even failing to keep up with inflation, the business of the WNBA didn’t always support a reimagination of the salary structure.—
Shannon Ryan,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Still, critics have condemned these modestly sized green areas as a PR stunt, citing the high cost per square meter.—
Marie Patino,
Bloomberg,
20 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In a 1976 game, lowly Indiana took an early 7-to-6 lead over mighty Ohio State, so unexpected that Corso burned a timeout for the purpose of commemorative photos.—
Jon Wertheim,
CBS News,
15 Dec. 2025
-
Three hundred and sixty-five days after the Bears — then a lowly laughing stock en route to a third-straight last-place finish in the NFC North — fired Matt Eberflus as head coach, Johnson’s Bears bested the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles over Thanksgiving weekend.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbly. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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