humble

[ huhm-buhl, uhm- ]

/ ˈhʌm bəl, ˈʌm- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR humble ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, hum·bler, hum·blest.

not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful.

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

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

courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.

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

verb (used with object), hum·bled, hum·bling.

to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.

to destroy the independence, power, or will of.

to make meek: to humble one's heart.

Nearby words

Origin of humble

1200–50; Middle English (h)umble < Old French < Latin humilis lowly, insignificant, on the ground. See humus, -ile

SYNONYMS FOR humble

1. unpretending, unpretentious. 2. submissive, meek. 3. unassuming, plain, common, poor. 4. polite. 6. mortify, shame, abash. 7. subdue, crush, break.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR humble ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR humble

1, 2. proud. 3. noble, exalted. 4. rude, insolent. 6. elevate. 8. exalt.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR humble ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

hum·ble·ness, nounhum·bler, nounhum·bling·ly, adverbhum·bly, adverb

o·ver·hum·ble, adjectiveo·ver·hum·ble·ness, nouno·ver·hum·b·ly, adverbqua·si-hum·ble, adjectivequa·si-hum·b·ly, adverbself-hum·bling, adjectiveun·hum·ble, adjectiveun·hum·ble·ness, nounun·hum·b·ly, adverbun·hum·bled, adjective

Synonym study

7. Humble, degrade, humiliate suggest lowering or causing to seem lower. To humble is to bring down the pride of another or to reduce him or her 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for humble

What matters is being honest, humble, and a faithful and loyal friend, father and member of your community.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv|Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They are to face oppression with humble persistence and absolute conviction.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Abramoff said that the governor needed to remember to “be humble.”
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv|Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His goal of coming across as humble subtracts from his ability to share just exactly how he became so great at such a young age.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player|William O’Connor|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They'll take your jobs (never mind that you don't want to do the burdensome and humble jobs they are willing to do)!
Ebola, ISIS, the Border: So Much to Fear, So Little Time!|Gene Robinson|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was wiser to disguise himself as a humble country boy and gall his feet by carrying all his gold in his boots.
English Travellers of the Renaissance|Clare Howard
There was a touch of the lackey about Purvis, and his voice was humble sometimes to the verge of irritation.
Peter and Jane|S. (Sarah) Macnaughtan
Nor were the humble resignation and patient faith of his wife less a cause of rejoicing to her.
The Orphans of Glen Elder|Margaret Murray Robertson
It was in no sense a fashionable resort, or Maud would never have ventured there in company with her humble adorer.
The Bread-winners|John Hay
In all probability most of Zerubbabel's and Ezra's pilgrims had been in humble circumstances.
Expositor's Bible: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther|Walter Adeney

British Dictionary definitions for humble

humble

/ (ˈhʌmbəl) /

adjective

conscious of one's failings

unpretentious; lowlya humble cottage; my humble opinion

deferential or servile

verb (tr)

to cause to become humble; humiliate

to lower in status

Derived Forms

humbled, adjectivehumbleness, nounhumbler, nounhumbling, adjective

humblingly, adverbhumbly, adverb

Word Origin for humble

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

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

Word Origin and History for humble

humble

adj.

mid-13c., from Old French humble, earlier humele, from Latin humilis "lowly, humble," literally "on the ground," from humus "earth." Senses of "not self-asserting" and "of low birth or rank" were both in Middle English Related: Humbly; humbleness.

Don't be so humble; you're not that great. [Golda Meir]

To eat humble pie (1830) is from umble pie (1640s), pie made from umbles "edible inner parts of an animal" (especially deer), considered a low-class food. The similar sense of similar-sounding words (the "h" of humble was not pronounced then) converged in the pun. Umbles, meanwhile, is Middle English numbles "offal" (with loss of n- through assimilation into preceding article).

humble

late 14c. in the intransitive sense of "to render oneself humble;" late 15c. in the transitive sense of "to lower (someone) in dignity;" see humble (adj.). Related: Humbled; humbling.

Idioms and Phrases with humble

humble

see eat crow (humble pie).

humble

adjective, hum·bler, hum·blest.

verb (used with object), hum·bled, hum·bling.

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Origin of humble

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for humble

humble

adjective

verb (tr)

Word Origin for humble

humble

humble

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