humble
Americanadjective
-
humbler,
comparative
-
humblest
superlative
-
not proud or arrogant; modest.
Though very successful, she remained humble.
- Synonyms:
- unpretentious
- Antonyms:
- proud
-
having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc..
In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.
- Synonyms:
- meek, deferential
- Antonyms:
- proud
-
low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly.
of humble origin;
a humble home.
- Synonyms:
- poor, common, plain, unassuming
-
courteously respectful.
In my humble opinion you are wrong.
- Synonyms:
- polite
-
low in height, level, etc.; small in size.
a humble member of the galaxy.
verb (used with object)
-
humbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
humbled,
past participle, past
-
humbling
present participle
adjective
-
conscious of one's failings
-
unpretentious; lowly
a humble cottage
my humble opinion
-
deferential or servile
verb
-
to cause to become humble; humiliate
-
to lower in status
Synonym Usage
Humble, degrade, humiliate suggest lowering or causing to seem lower. To humble is to bring down the pride of another or to reduce them to a state of abasement: to humble an arrogant enemy. To degrade is to demote in rank or standing, or to reduce to a low level in dignity: to degrade an officer; to degrade oneself by lying. To humiliate is to make others feel or appear inadequate or unworthy, especially in some public setting: to humiliate a sensitive person.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
humblenessnoun
-
humblernoun
-
humbledadjective
-
humblingadjective
-
overhumbleadjective
-
quasi-humbleadjective
-
unhumbleadjective
-
humblinglyadverb
-
humblyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
humblesimple
-
humblessimple
-
have humbledperfect
-
has humbledperfect
-
am humblingprogressive
-
are humblingprogressive
-
is humblingprogressive
-
have been humblingperfect progressive
-
has been humblingperfect progressive
Past
-
humbledsimple
-
had humbledperfect
-
was humblingprogressive
-
were humblingprogressive
-
had been humblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of humble
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English (h)umble, from Old French, from Latin humilis “lowly, insignificant, on the ground”; see humus, -ile
Explanation
Humble means "modest; without an excess of pride." A person who brags about being humble may have too much pride in being humble to actually be humble. Sometimes fictional characters try to earn favor by saying "I'm just a humble man in search of..." when it is obvious they are the opposite. Truly humble people keep quiet about their accomplishments and the good things they do. Humble can also mean "low in station or quality." If you come from a humble background, you didn't grow up wealthy, and if you live in a humble apartment, it isn't overly grand or showy.
Vocabulary lists containing humble
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"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
See Examples For:
If the other parties "choose not to stand, somebody has to stand up and be the opposition. And so it's my humble duty to actually be His Majesty's official opposition," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
A few 9s to keep the ignition crew humble.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
If God has other plans, I’m willing to be humble and walk that path.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Many have described Kili Pemba as humble and deeply committed in serving his clients.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Doña Veronica was the first restaurant who picked our humble farm over the larger chains. The gratitude we have for her can never be repaid.”
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
Beijing has also set its sights on far humbler targets, Taiwanese officials say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
On a humbler scale, Kail poetically marks the passage of time with a thickening palm tree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
For investors still betting on the next Keytruda, it means a humbler arithmetic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Salaam projected a much humbler tone than he did when Trump was first indicted in April.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2023
It ran half the length of the city and had become its most coveted real estate, never mind that much of it fell in humbler neighborhoods.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Dishwashers occupy one of the humblest rungs, but they are among the most badly needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
Simple, ignoble, under-appreciated green cabbage: It has got to be one of the most unpretentious and humblest in all of the Cruciferae family, if not among the entire vegetable kingdom.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2024
"To the millions who tuned in every Sunday evening to watch The Antiques Roadshow, Henry was like a favourite uncle, whose enthusiasm for even the humblest piece of chipped china was infectious," John Sandon said.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2023
Neither traditional sculpture nor painting, it conjured both, a monumental object made from the humblest materials.
From New York Times ● Sep. 11, 2023
At last they came upon a little hovel of the humblest sort, poorer than any they had yet found, with a roof made only of reeds.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
In response, she said she was "very flattered", adding: "Those early days were quite something, and to know that moment meant something to you all these years on truly humbles me."
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
He has a flop with his film, “Big Top Pee-wee,” which humbles him.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025
“And when you are music director of the New York Philharmonic, you are part of the New York Philharmonic. And in a way that humbles us.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
“Hard for me to accept that a once world-class athlete just stumbled. But age is the great equalizer and humbles us all.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
The pattern of evolutionary causality is a web of astonishing complexity; the incompleteness of our understanding humbles us.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
I am humbled that you’d ask me for a third opinion.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Eager buyers of the IPO have been humbled by the stock’s fall since its June 12 debut.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"I sincerely regret any action, omission, misunderstanding or misinterpretation that may have resulted in a non-compliance with the order," a humbled Duale told the court.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Badenoch added her party "is working to earn the trust of the country again", and is "grateful and humbled" that residents of Aberdeen South voted for the Tories.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 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
The fumble with the NFL was a humbling experience for Iger, who is a lifelong passionate sports fan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
It’s very humbling to see that level of support for me and women’s basketball in general.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
But it’s a humbling reminder that taxes cut even the greatest investors down to size—and your financial adviser isn’t David Swensen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Sarina Wiegman says her "hurt" England side need setbacks like their humbling defeat by Spain in order to improve.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
“For the rest of your life you will regret not humbling yourself and following his counsel.”
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
