humiliate
Americanverb (used with object)
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humiliates,
present (3rd person singular)
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humiliated,
past participle, past
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humiliating
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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humiliationnoun
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humiliatornoun
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rehumiliateverb (used with object)
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humiliatedadjective
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humiliatingadjective
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humiliativeadjective
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humiliatoryadjective
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humiliatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
humiliatesimple
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humiliatessimple
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have humiliatedperfect
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has humiliatedperfect
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am humiliatingprogressive
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are humiliatingprogressive
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is humiliatingprogressive
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have been humiliatingperfect progressive
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has been humiliatingperfect progressive
Past
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humiliatedsimple
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had humiliatedperfect
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was humiliatingprogressive
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were humiliatingprogressive
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had been humiliatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of humiliate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin humiliātus (past participle of humiliāre “to humble”), equivalent to Latin humili(s) humble + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Humiliate means to make someone feel ashamed or stupid, often publicly. It would humiliate all but the most self-assured person to realize that everyone else in the room has noticed their fly is down. For many, the experience of high school seems designed to humiliate teens––under the microscope of public scrutiny that is the high school community, every break up, every bad-hair day, every forgotten homework assignment humiliates kids in ways adults rarely understand.
Vocabulary lists containing humiliate
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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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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:
And on the street, when you see people begging, when you hand money to them, do not humiliate them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Northampton scored 14 tries to humiliate Bristol at Franklin's Gardens and confirm their place in the Prem semi-finals.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
As Rue muses in a voiceover, she’s beautiful, directionless and “so desperate for attention she’s willing to humiliate herself.”
From Salon ● May 4, 2026
He’ll stick around through the series, offering barbed commentary and something like support: “If I humiliate you, it’s to save you from the bigger humiliation of remaining as you are.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
Now I have had to humiliate myself by writing to the editor of The New Democracy to tell him that the pamphlet, although challenging, was written by the wrong people.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Critics say Philips doesn't just challenge those beliefs - he humiliates the people who hold them.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
What did you bring to the scene where Glinda humiliates Elphaba, giving her that “hideodeous” black hat that she wears to the ball?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2024
The league says its operations manual strictly prohibits bullying and hazing, which is defined as behavior that “harms, intimidates, offends, degrades, threatens, or humiliates another person or creates a risk to their health or safety.”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
Dream wins and humiliates the Lord of Hell, after which she swears revenge.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2022
But a cramp, he thought of it as a calambre, humiliates oneself especially when one is alone.
From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway
Now older, these women appear stronger and more introspective while revisiting how they were manipulated and humiliated for America’s entertainment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Foster bought high-end watches and cars with his share of the proceeds while many victims told NTS investigators they had been left financially and emotionally devastated, and felt humiliated and betrayed.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Kushners, paragons of their community, were humiliated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
A man with osteoarthritis and learning difficulties has said he feels "humiliated" after being told he cannot take his new mobility scooter on Translink's train services because it has been deemed to be too big.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Mine was the humiliated consciousness, ashamed of its every face, its every nuance.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
"I had to explain that my bladder sometimes did not empty fully, causing severe pain and horrendous diarrhoea. I found the questioning embarrassing and humiliating," she says.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
However, the impact of even a botched attack on B-1 bombers would be humiliating for the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
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
The Rams’ decision to leave late for Australia coupled with Sean McVay making a bad play call at a critical moment all add up to a humiliating loss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
“We got this,” I promise, and when Mustafa throws down the card I was hoping for, I know we won by getting all the sets and crushing our opponents in the most humiliating way.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
