Synonyms

humbling

American

[huhm-bling, uhm-] / ˈhʌm blɪŋ, ˈʌm- /

adjective

causing a person to feel less proud, especially through awe, admiration, or gratitude.

This project has involved some exceptionally talented people and it’s been a humbling experience to work with them.
lowering a person’s status, power, dignity, confidence, etc..

The 26:2 vote in favor of their opponents was indeed a humbling defeat.

noun

the act of affecting a person or thing in any of these ways, or the experience of being so affected.

The Magna Carta marked the restoration of Anglo-Saxon freedom and the humbling of Norman tyranny.

Other Word Forms

humblingly adverb
self-humbling adjective

Etymology

Origin of humbling

First recorded in 1540–50; humbl(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; humbl(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

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.

He told me after our interview was over that he'd found the question "humbling and puzzling".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The comic’s statement continued: “I’d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who’s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

As film star owners watched on, it was a video screen that brought a cruel dose of reality to a fantastic FA Cup tie and ensured Chelsea avoided a humbling fifth-round exit.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

He referred to the Fed’s humbling misjudgment in 2021, when it dismissed a surge in inflation as likely to be temporary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

It was so humbling to have the city of Maplewood honor me that way.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023