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
Some films herald the scope of their ambitions from the opening frame, whereas others start humbly with a mastery that slowly comes to the fore.
—
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
Intricate details of both spacecraft stages, down to some individual rivets, can be seen along the spacecraft hulls, while Earth hangs humbly in the background on the bottom half of the frame.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 18 May 2026
Culhane humbly says this is what helped platform him.
—Ella Gonzales
may 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Among all these elaborate and painstakingly studied novelties, loaves of barbari, the bread that kicked it off, await almost humbly.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.
—Cody J Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
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
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
Intricate details of both spacecraft stages, down to some individual rivets, can be seen along the spacecraft hulls, while Earth hangs humbly in the background on the bottom half of the frame.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 18 May 2026
Culhane humbly says this is what helped platform him.
—Ella Gonzales
may 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Among all these elaborate and painstakingly studied novelties, loaves of barbari, the bread that kicked it off, await almost humbly.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.
—Cody J Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbly
Adverb
-
Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
If the person politely requests one, that’s OK.—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
-
Dred Scott was not politely corrected by the Court.—
Natashia Deon,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
Adverb
-
The 22-year-old sheepishly asked if Tarasenko could help him with his laundry.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 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
-
Precedent thus gave the judge reason to deferentially review settlement terms.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
-
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Adding a fish oil supplement while already taking blood pressure medication may modestly and safely enhance these effects.—
Ayesha Gulzar,
Verywell Health,
3 June 2026
-
Stock futures are mixed this morning after a modestly positive session yesterday.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Adverb
-
And Colorado Springs Switchbacks earned a 3-1 win over lowly Sporting Kansas City.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
15 Apr. 2026
-
To win the division, the Ravens would need to win at Green Bay and Pittsburgh and have the Steelers lose to lowly Cleveland in Week 17.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbly. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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