humble

[ huhm-buhl, uhm- ]
See synonyms for: humblehumbledhumblesthumbling on Thesaurus.com

adjective,hum·bler, hum·blest.
  1. not proud or arrogant; modest: Though very successful, she remained humble.

  2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.: In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.

  1. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly: of humble origin;a humble home.

  2. courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.

  3. low in height, level, etc.; small in size: a humble member of the galaxy.

verb (used with object),hum·bled, hum·bling.
  1. to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.

  2. to destroy the independence, power, or will of.

  1. to make meek: to humble one's heart.

Origin of humble

1
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English (h)umble, from Old French, from Latin humilis “lowly, insignificant, on the ground”; see humus, -ile

synonym study For humble

7. 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 words for humble

Opposites for humble

Other words from humble

  • hum·ble·ness, noun
  • hum·bler, noun
  • hum·bly, adverb
  • o·ver·hum·ble, adjective
  • qua·si-hum·ble, adjective
  • un·hum·ble, adjective

Words Nearby humble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use humble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for humble

humble

/ (ˈhʌmbəl) /


adjective
  1. conscious of one's failings

  2. unpretentious; lowly: a humble cottage; my humble opinion

  1. deferential or servile

verb(tr)
  1. to cause to become humble; humiliate

  2. to lower in status

Origin of humble

1
C13: from Old French, from Latin humilis low, from humus the ground

Derived forms of humble

  • humbled, adjective
  • humbleness, noun
  • humbler, noun
  • humbling, adjective
  • humblingly, adverb
  • humbly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with humble

humble

see eat crow (humble pie).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.