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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humble
Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2026
Laxness combines folklore and myth with humble details of the natural world in this delightful novel.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 Jan. 2026
Part of that is a clearly superior defense that humbled San Francisco 13-3 in the regular season finale.
—Greg Cote
january 15, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for humble
Adjective
The Braddock’s culinary journey began in 2012 with humble beginnings.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2026
Laxness combines folklore and myth with humble details of the natural world in this delightful novel.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
Proud to serve Cincinnati, thankful for the people and stories that pass through our doors, and humbled by opportunities like this.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 Jan. 2026
Part of that is a clearly superior defense that humbled San Francisco 13-3 in the regular season finale.
—Greg Cote
january 15, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Adjective
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The magic of the series comes in the complete buy-in of the contestants as well as Davies and Horne (Horne's character is a meek, annoying and sycophantic version of himself).—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
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But savings were meek, with the largest dip found in Stockton, off only 4% last year vs up 2% in 2024 and 36% over the previous four years.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Previously, just one satellite in the program had reached low Earth orbit — NEONSAT-1, which flew atop an Electron in April 2024.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Rieder is believed to prefer lower interest rates, a top priority for a president who wants massive rate cuts.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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After all, the deal — for a long-forsaken project, an action-comedy franchise starring two aging stars — underscores the servile fealty of new Paramount owners Larry and David Ellison amid their recent maneuvering to take control of TikTok and Warner Bros. Discovery (the latter seemingly futile).—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Dec. 2025
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Earlier this year, my colleague and bud Kelefa Sanneh suggested that music critics, as a lot, have gone soft—becoming submissive, overly agreeable, and, in some cases, nearly servile.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
And videotaping it to humiliate them.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Dec. 2025
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She had never been arrested before and felt humiliated when her mugshot was plastered all over the news after her arrest.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Kennedy expressed openness to building on modest reforms that already passed the House, chiefly more money for body cameras and de-escalation training.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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The stock reflects a flawless execution scenario, with limited leeway for mistakes in light of challenges from China and modest short-term growth.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The first part of the plan doesn’t quite work out when the casting gets announced with Minna landing the role of Titania the Queen of Fairies, and Flic, a lowly tree.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
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Other products are raising the profile of the once lowly carrot, like Japanese-style Carrot Umami Dressing from Kuze Fuku & Sons, and Foster’s Pickled Carrot Sticks.—
Amy Sherman,
Martha Stewart,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And the difference between absolutely nailing a passage and creating a feeling of transcendent gloriousness in the concert hall and abject failure is usually about a millimeter.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
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The quarterfinal round morphed into an abject embarrassment when Texas Tech, which dominated the Big 12 during the regular season, lost decisively (23-0) to the Big Ten’s third-place finisher, Oregon.—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Supporters of Pahlavi were particularly vocal in Mashhad this month, as attested by the prevalence of pro-monarchy graffiti on city walls, and the regime’s propaganda devoted particular attention to discrediting the former crown prince.—
Davood Moradian,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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Mayers said one lawful action should not be used to discredit another lawful action.—
Steve Karnowski,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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