humbling
Americanadjective
-
causing a person to feel less proud, especially through awe, admiration, or gratitude.
This project has involved some exceptionally talented people and it’s been a humbling experience to work with them.
-
lowering a person’s status, power, dignity, confidence, etc..
The 26:2 vote in favor of their opponents was indeed a humbling defeat.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of humbling
First recorded in 1540–50; humbl(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; humbl(e) ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense
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.
Duggan said the win was "extraordinary, unexpected and humbling".
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“I don’t have shame about the fact that it’s been hard. I have never met a more humbling experience,” she said with an outsize emphasis on “never.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Gym bros are taking Pilates classes and the experience has been humbling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
For me, parenting is a humbling experience daily and I felt it was something about this that tapped into a vulnerability and a rawness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
I had not hitchhiked in twenty-five years, and it was a vaguely humbling experience.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
