humiliating 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of humiliatingnext
as in demeaning

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humiliating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of humiliate
as in discrediting
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes the reigning tennis champ was humiliated on the court by a newcomer who defeated him in straight sets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of humiliating
Adjective
Shaming or humiliating people online often pushes them further into extremist rabbit holes. — Larry Magid, Mercury News, 30 July 2026 Chad Powers season 2 sees the actor reprise his role as Russ Holliday, a former star college quarterback who fumbled his promising career after a humiliating championship-game meltdown. — Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 29 July 2026
Verb
State caseworkers have sent an untold number of elders in their care to a coterie of homes with a history of hurting, ignoring or humiliating their residents, records and anguished families say. — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026 These clips often use humor and pop‑culture aesthetics—even LEGO‑style animations—to show Iran’s late supreme leader outsmarting and humiliating his American adversaries. — Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for humiliating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humiliating
  1. demeaning
  2. discrediting
  3. degrading
  4. embarrassing
  5. humbling
  6. shaming
  7. mortifying
  8. disgracing
Adjective
  • No ask is too demeaning, no self-sabotaging client too difficult.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 29 July 2026
  • Some wives and girlfriends balk at the label, calling it demeaning shorthand that gives short shrift to a woman’s own worth.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026
Definition of demeaning
Verb
  • The release of his diaries though, revealed some thoroughly discrediting and upsetting details about Fauci's private beliefs.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Kiryl Pazniak, 49, who hosted a popular political show on YouTube, has been convicted on the charges of discrediting Belarus and forming an extremist organization, the group said — accusations widely used by authorities to stifle critical voices.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Definition of discrediting
Adjective
  • By suggesting that Black women would willingly place their own children in mortal danger for profit, such narratives provided yet another means of humiliating, degrading and dehumanizing African Americans.
    — The Conversation, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026
  • With fracking — which is already outlawed on offshore platforms in California waters, and is widely viewed as an environmentally degrading and often risky process — Gilda’s production would jump to about 4,000 barrels a day.
    — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of degrading
Verb
  • The operation has brought a fuel crisis that is embarrassing the Kremlin.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Anthrax, Sublime, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were easy and often embarrassing examples, but the funky waka-waka guitar sound extended to Rage Against the Machine, Green Jellÿ, and Suicidal Tendencies (and their side project, Infectious Grooves).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of embarrassing
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
Definition of humbling
Verb
  • In 2019, Moore’s eldest daughter opened up about her struggles with body shaming and low self-esteem as a teen.
    — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Her suggestion is to ask teens how their online experiences feel rather than shaming the scrolling.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaming
Adjective
  • But off the air, Brattin, Conn, and their network continued to laugh about the mortifying moment.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Harrop’s column is among a number of media clippings Fauci preserved in his diary, a surreally mortifying document released to the public last week by Senator Rand Paul.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of mortifying
Verb
  • Social media users have critiqued her body both when with and without child and have accused her of disgracing the image of Black women.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
  • Why are adults so comfortable publicly disgracing Black teenage girls going to their prom and being cruel toward strangers who are sometimes half their age?
    — Essence, Essence, 11 May 2026
Definition of disgracing

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Cite this Entry

“Humiliating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humiliating. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on humiliating

Nglish: Translation of humiliating for Spanish Speakers

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