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:
Baniamerian was from childhood "a kind and humble person", his relative said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Miyamoto has a similar humble but thankless task she’d want help with.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
I got to taste a lot of that humble pie and I got to really learn about myself and I'm still trying to grow, still trying to learn.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
My humble thanks go out to all these correspondents, commenters and readers, and my condolences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
“And how does that help our humble cause?”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
On a humbler scale, Kail poetically marks the passage of time with a thickening palm tree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 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
They also produce large works of public art, grand human figures being soldered together next to humbler vinyl signs of the city’s workaday sandwich shops.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
“I obey. I can be humbler than anyone.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Soon even the humblest burgh in the hinterland could lay claim to a flourishing pizzeria.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
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
Hansons Auctioneers, in Banbury, Oxfordshire, said it was an "astonishing" price for "the humblest Christmas tree in the world".
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2023
Neither traditional sculpture nor painting, it conjured both, a monumental object made from the humblest materials.
From New York Times ● Sep. 11, 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
“The game’s so hard and it humbles you so much, we’re taught and kind of trained to keep your eye on what’s in the present,” Counsell said.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 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
“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
Parmitano, a 49-year-old father of two daughters, added that he is "also very humbled by the task in front of us. It's a very complex mission."
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Afterwards, Sir Keir said he had been "profoundly humbled" by the meeting and that Nowak deserved "a legacy that goes beyond this awful tragedy".
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Warm, full, and humbled, I pushed back my plate.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
"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
Sarina Wiegman says her "hurt" England side need setbacks like their humbling defeat by Spain in order to improve.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 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
It was reported that as many as a million people personally witnessed our procession through the city, and to see the support and enthusiasm they gave to the anti-apartheid struggle was truly humbling.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
