humbled

[huhm-buhld, uhm-]

adjective

1. made less proud, especially by awe or admiration, or by gratitude for help received, an undeserved advantage or honor, etc..

   The land is a perpetual gift; I am humbled like a stranger who is invited to dinner and fed the best food in the house.

2. lowered in condition, power, or dignity; abased.

   NATO air strikes and tightening sanctions finally brought the humbled aggressors to the negotiating table.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of humble.

Other Word Forms

• unhumbled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of humbled¹

humble ( def. ) + -ed ²

Example Sentences

“There’s a virtue in getting older — you’ve been humbled so many times that you don’t mind being curious about learning new skills,” he says.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He did not make his Test debut until the age of 31 - just before an Australia side in transition was famously humbled 3-1 on home soil in 2010-11 by Andrew Strauss' team.

Read more on BBC

He was humbled but didn’t miss out completely.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This anthology left me humbled — and determined to double down on my commitment as a writer, a free thinker, a humanist.

Read more on Salon

Labour, so long the victor of so many a south Wales political contest, humbled, pummelled, crushed - attracting just 11% of voters.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• apologetic 
• bashful 
• contrite 
• distraught 
• distressed 
• embarrassed www.thesaurus.com
• guilty 
• hesitant 
• humble 
• humiliated 
• regretful 
• reluctant 
• repentant 
• shy 
• sorry