humble 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhəm-bəl How to pronounce humble (audio)
Definition of humblenext
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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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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humble

2 of 2

verb

ˈhəm-bəl How to pronounce humble (audio)
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

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 humble
Adjective
Betye Saar could make the humblest of objects sing and shout. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 18 Aug. 2026 There have been a number of albums this year that go into the side effects of fame — Ariana Grande’s in a big way, Phoebe Bridgers’ to a lesser extent — but no one is quite so humble or conflicted about it as Kahan. — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
That isn’t enough to humble our black-eyed lout, but spending a few months as a dishwasher at The Flagship in exchange for getting to sleep on the head chef’s hammock soon will. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 July 2026 So far, the process of sourcing a new Italy coach has been humbling. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
  1. meek
  2. low
  3. servile
  4. humiliate
  5. modest
  6. lowly
  7. abject
  8. discredit
Adjective
  • Howard recruited Winkler to star in his 1982 comedy Night Shift, as a meek morgue worker whose life is radicalized by a new hire played by Michael Keaton.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Closer to home, Liverpool have shown the pitfalls of an expensive facelift, splurging record sums on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak last summer only to free-fall from champions to a meek fifth-place finish.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of meek
Adjective
  • Achane will also go from a QB with one of the league’s highest checkdown rates to a QB with one of the lowest.
    — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • This week, Australian biotechnology company Mesolab announced that its Phase 3 trial of rexlemestrocel-L for chronic low back pain (CLBP) now moves beyond the patient-treatment stage.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of low
Adjective
  • Unfortunately, Trump takes servile flattery as his due.
    — Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
  • Of course, all of this convenient acquiescence will sound familiar in the United States, where our own Congress and Department of Justice have been nothing if not servile to a brazenly corrupt executive.
    — Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
Definition of servile
Verb
  • In their first national title game, the Wildcats humiliated Oklahoma in the national semifinal by 44, and in their second, demoralized Michigan in the title game by 17.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • After being publicly humiliated by Daemon Targaryen and lured to switch sides (with his dragon) to the Greens by Ormund Hightower, party animal Ulf is still drunk and MIA when the battle starts.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of humiliate
Adjective
  • The White House has eagerly taken credit for the modest rebound in manufacturing jobs this year, with some 31,000 new positions added since January.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The trial found similar benefits to those observed by Snyder’s team; these included heightened libido and a modest improvement to mood.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of modest
Adjective
  • Except the A’s—who, for their part, had finished the month of July with a lowly record of 5–19—won the next game, too.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • And the Liberty will move on to another lowly opponent — the Connecticut Sun — on Saturday.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of lowly
Adjective
  • But any idea that aliens aren’t in Rushville went out the door with Waylon’s attempt at spreading mass panic and abject harm.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Just as with the Romans, we peasants are treated to a spectacle to distract us from the reality of the abject impoverishment of the social safety net and the abandonment of the poor.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of abject
Verb
  • Inflicting these details on the jury, the children’s family members, and the public served no discernible purpose in establishing Clancy’s mens rea, which might have discredited her not-guilty plea.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The indictment became a rallying point to discredit not only the SPLC but the wider body of research on hate groups and political extremism.
    — Art Jipson, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of discredit

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Cite this Entry

“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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