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humble

[ huhm-buhl, uhm- ]
/ ˈhʌm bəl, ˈʌm- /
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See synonyms for: humble / humbled / humblest / humbling on Thesaurus.com
adjective, hum·bler, hum·blest.
verb (used with object), hum·bled, hum·bling.
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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

synonym study for humble

7. 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 WORDS FROM humble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to humble

courteous, gentle, modest, ordinary, polite, quiet, respectful, self-effacing, sheepish, shy, simple, soft-spoken, tentative, timid, unpretentious, obscure, unassuming, chagrin, chasten, confound

How to use humble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for humble

humble
/ (ˈhʌmbəl) /
adjective
conscious of one's failings
unpretentious; lowlya humble cottage; my humble opinion
deferential or servile
verb (tr)
to cause to become humble; humiliate
to lower in status

Derived forms of humble

Word Origin for humble

C13: from Old French, from Latin humilis low, from humus the ground
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with humble

humble

see eat crow (humble pie).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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