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
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:
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
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
"The way he carries himself is amazing, because despite being one of the biggest stars in the world of football, he's so humble," Hofmann said.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Prince Dain rises from his humble place on the stool.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
On a humbler scale, Kail poetically marks the passage of time with a thickening palm tree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 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
Long before its buttery aroma seeped into the upholstery of American theaters, the snack lived a humbler life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 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
It aroused no comment that thirty men of humbler rank—master workmen like Paul Revere the silversmith, Thomas Crafts the painter, or Chase the distiller—met at the Green Dragon.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
For 90 years, this brief aria has bridged musical worlds—reminding us that even the humblest lullaby can rise and soar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Throckmorton’s shuttering occurred in the era before the internet conferred immortality to even the humblest of establishments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 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
“Bob is the humblest egomaniac I’ve ever met, but he undercuts his narcissism by being so damn lovable. A walking contradiction, he makes up for his self-inflicted insecurity by being a self-inflicted aggrandizer,” he said.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2023
And every animal down to the humblest worked at turning the hay and gathering it.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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
He has a flop with his film, “Big Top Pee-wee,” which humbles him.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025
The idea that I’ve had all this experience humbles me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024
“And when you are music director of the New York Philharmonic, you are part of the New York Philharmonic. And in a way that humbles us.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
"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
"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
Asked about how the president feels to have the Florida airport named after him, Eric Trump said he was "honored" and "humbled."
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Both Washington and Moscow were humbled in foreign wars in the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
“I am humbled and grateful that Californians from every corner of our state have rallied behind this campaign,” Shaw said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
Samuel Stearns summed up their feelings in a bit of awkward verse: “This mortal Plague at thy command / And thou thereby hast humbled sinful man!”
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
"It's a huge honour and incredibly humbling to be named on the King's Birthday Honours list," Scarratt said.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
What a strange and humbling thing that the course of human history has been repeatedly upended by this singular pathogen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
"It's very humbling, it's very scary… you know I'm nearly 58 and never thought I would be in this situation," she says.
From BBC ● May 21, 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
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.
