humble
Americanadjective
-
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)
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
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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:
The humble air conditioner has changed the lives of people in the tropical regions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Baniamerian was from childhood "a kind and humble person", his relative said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“He was a top of the line up hitter with a humble attitude in the 3 years he played against him. Rest in Peace sweetheart and endless prayers for his family.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
And I am hardly the first person to suspect that, with a little butter and heat and attention, the humble cracker can become something worth gathering around.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Their facial expressions changed to humble, their words were apologetic, and their demeanor lacked confidence.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Beijing has also set its sights on far humbler targets, Taiwanese officials say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
This chafes against the restraint demanded by his current role, which has historically been carried out in humbler fashion.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
“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
Still, the rewards that come with the new travel debit cards are much humbler than those of even the least generous credit cards from the same companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
“I obey. I can be humbler than anyone.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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
The book follows that sentiment, with produce-focused, elevated dishes that are simple to prepare but bodacious in flavor and color, all made with with the humblest of ingredients.
From Salon ● May 2, 2024
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
"To the millions who tuned in every Sunday evening to watch The Antiques Roadshow, Henry was like a favourite uncle, whose enthusiasm for even the humblest piece of chipped china was infectious," John Sandon said.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2023
In the silences between jokes about Leper’s glories we wondered whether we ourselves would measure up to the humblest minimum standard of the army.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
He has a flop with his film, “Big Top Pee-wee,” which humbles him.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025
“Everything right now feels so overwhelming. All the support humbles us, but where do we begin?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 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
“Yeah, it kind of humbles me a little bit, and it makes me think of what are the other ways I can contribute to the team,” Carlson said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2023
There are portraits of me and Barack now hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, a fact that humbles us both.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
"We are all stunned and elated by this discovery, yet also humbled to remember what happened in that place so long ago," said Russ Matthews, president of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“I am deeply humbled by the trust that voters have placed in me,” Khan Valbuena said in a statement on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Both Washington and Moscow were humbled in foreign wars in the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
The A.I. use is the one topic for which Pratt sounded humbled in the stretch drive of the campaign.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026
Yet he could not have been so humbled unless he had shared and accepted the vision that had crushed him, the common vision that bound us all together.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
That is a humbling admission from a company long accustomed to running the table on its suppliers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
It’s not merely trendy psychologizing to salute the qualities of a sturdy tree: a humbling reminder of time’s immensity, but also a living embodiment of shelter, change and growth.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
Travolta called receiving the award "a humbling moment".
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
For a player of Koepka’s stature, it’s a humbling place to be, having reached the sport’s peak but now needing to start from the bottom on Tour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
No doubt he meant for it to be humbling, but Tyrion enjoyed the needlework.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
