humbled
Americanadjective
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made less proud, especially by awe or admiration, or by gratitude for help received, an undeserved advantage or honor, etc..
The land is a perpetual gift; I am humbled like a stranger who is invited to dinner and fed the best food in the house.
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lowered in condition, power, or dignity; abased.
NATO air strikes and tightening sanctions finally brought the humbled aggressors to the negotiating table.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of humbled
Explanation
Someone who's humbled is made to feel less proud — they're chastened or deflated. A humbled sports star might be one who addresses the public after being punished for cheating. Your favorite basketball team is humbled if they lose badly to one of the worst teams in the league, and your schoolmate is humbled after bragging that he had straight As, only to get a miserable report card. In both cases, the humbled person or group has been brought down to earth, or taken down a peg. They're a little bit embarrassed and a little bit subdued. The Latin root is humilis, "lowly," and literally, "on the ground."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Give this to Pratt: In a world in which shame still humbled high-profile politicians, Bass might have resigned out of honor after the fires.
From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026
“I am humbled and grateful that Californians from every corner of our state have rallied behind this campaign,” Shaw said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Mrs Brown said she was "honoured and humbled" to be made an OBE, adding she had finally "been heard by the system" and was "pleased that the public are still learning about this".
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
For a beaten-down software sector, and a humbled Palantir, the race is now on to prove the software rally is the start of a genuine second act rather than a temporary reprieve.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
I was feeling pretty good about the way I could handle myself on snow, but I was humbled real quick.
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
