- present participle of humiliate.
humiliating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of humiliating
First recorded in 1750–60; humiliat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
When something humiliating happens to you, it makes you feel embarrassed and ashamed. Your humiliating haircut might force you to wear a stocking cap to work. Something that humbles you and makes you feel foolish is humiliating: it's humiliating to sing your song for the school talent show in the wrong key, and it's even more humiliating when the audience laughs. Admitting defeat in a competition or battle is often described as humiliating, as are most kinds of public embarrassment. The noun humiliation came first, from the same root as humble, the Latin humilis, "lowly, humble," and literally, "on the ground."
Vocabulary lists containing humiliating
Fish in a Tree
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The Wednesday Wars
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Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
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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.
They followed that up with a chastening 4-1 defeat away to world champions Spain but were still level on points with Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions before Saturday's humiliating loss in Rijeka.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Carroll testified in court, a process he says was "humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Did the Rams’ humiliating season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia make you reevaluate your preseason choices?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
After two humiliating divorces, Opal has made the salvation of her oafish children her primary concern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Finally, after four days of play, the United States team had taken a humiliating beating, falling to the Soviets 20–12.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
