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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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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:
How Steve Ballmer, the richest owner in sports, was caught dead to rights by a humble podcaster, and what lessons the media and public can take from courtside seats to the halls of power.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
Stay humble if that works out, though—it can be because of some surprise ingredients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
There were also seven novels about a fictional policeman, William Warwick, who rises from humble constable in the Metropolitan police to the very top of his profession.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is projecting a more humble view after failing to jawbone the bond market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
But it wasn’t a palace or a castle or a fairy-tale peasant’s humble abode—none of the types of buildings she usually drew.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
“Then our dreams became humbler, to liberate our own lands. Now it’s even less. We don’t want to liberate anything. We just want to stay home and not leave our homes,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
Chicago boasts some of the world’s most imposing skyscrapers, but its humbler buildings have a charm of their own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Charles had petitioned Andrew to move into humbler accommodation and had even stopped paying for his private security to force his brother’s hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Salaam projected a much humbler tone than he did when Trump was first indicted in April.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2023
The birds did not understand Snowball’s long words, but they accepted his explanation, and all the humbler animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
Lamarck disputed this, arguing “that life at its essence is creative agency, that living beings, especially the smallest and humblest of them, continually remake the world,” as well as themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
His abhorrent behavior is sadly too common across the restaurant industry, from the finest dining to the humblest street stalls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Will, the humblest member of our group of five heroes, learned last episode that he is dying of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2024
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
The queen’s men outnumbered the queen’s ladies three to one, so even the humblest serving girls were pressed into the dance.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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
Matthew 23: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025
He has a flop with his film, “Big Top Pee-wee,” which humbles him.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025
“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
"Only a fool humbles himself when the world is so full of men eager to do that job for him."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Marra said he was "humbled" to be on the ballot and looked forward to a "good spirited and comradely contest".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
I am humbled that you’d ask me for a third opinion.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
I'm "humbled that I'm getting to put Matthew back in cinema after six and a half years," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 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 was humbled at the sight of it.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
“I don’t have shame about the fact that it’s been hard. I have never met a more humbling experience,” she said with an outsize emphasis on “never.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Speaking to reporters after the game, coach Matt LaFleur called it “a humbling night.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Considered a title threat, Oregon was coming off a humbling loss to Oklahoma State, which won a single game last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
It was humbling to see how the AI got my friend to open up in a way that I hadn’t, and I recognized that its questions were much more helpful than my answers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Nor did the persuasion of Philip of Macedon ever convince them to make him their friend without first humbling him.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
