humiliate
Americanverb (used with object)
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humiliates,
present (3rd person singular)
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humiliated,
past participle, past
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humiliating
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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humiliationnoun
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humiliatornoun
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rehumiliateverb (used with object)
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humiliatedadjective
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humiliatingadjective
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humiliativeadjective
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humiliatoryadjective
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humiliatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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humiliatesimple
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humiliatessimple
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have humiliatedperfect
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has humiliatedperfect
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am humiliatingprogressive
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are humiliatingprogressive
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is humiliatingprogressive
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have been humiliatingperfect progressive
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has been humiliatingperfect progressive
Past
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humiliatedsimple
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had humiliatedperfect
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was humiliatingprogressive
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were humiliatingprogressive
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had been humiliatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of humiliate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin humiliātus (past participle of humiliāre “to humble”), equivalent to Latin humili(s) humble + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Humiliate means to make someone feel ashamed or stupid, often publicly. It would humiliate all but the most self-assured person to realize that everyone else in the room has noticed their fly is down. For many, the experience of high school seems designed to humiliate teens––under the microscope of public scrutiny that is the high school community, every break up, every bad-hair day, every forgotten homework assignment humiliates kids in ways adults rarely understand.
Vocabulary lists containing humiliate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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Words for the High School Graduate
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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:
After the embarrassment of 2018, they simply couldn’t humiliate themselves on home soil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
"They'd love to humiliate the Castros and get one of the original revolutionaries from 1959 behind bars. But the strategic value of that is questionable."
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
As Rue muses in a voiceover, she’s beautiful, directionless and “so desperate for attention she’s willing to humiliate herself.”
From Salon ● May 4, 2026
The 2019 screen fiasco, which found countless ways to humiliate a cast that included Taylor Swift and Judi Dench, gave kitsch a bad name.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
“Hercules wants my other horn in order to humiliate me,” Achelous said.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Critics say Philips doesn't just challenge those beliefs - he humiliates the people who hold them.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
The league says its operations manual strictly prohibits bullying and hazing, which is defined as behavior that “harms, intimidates, offends, degrades, threatens, or humiliates another person or creates a risk to their health or safety.”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
Dream wins and humiliates the Lord of Hell, after which she swears revenge.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2022
That duality is reflected giddily in the early scene in which he sits at a keyboard and humiliates Salieri with a heavenly variation on the prosaic march the older maestro has written in his honor.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2019
But a cramp, he thought of it as a calambre, humiliates oneself especially when one is alone.
From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway
"Girls have described feeling sexualised or humiliated when told to 'cover up', even when that is not the intention. That experience has serious consequences for self-esteem, trust and mental health."
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
I’ve oscillated wildly between thinking the U.S. will ride a host-nation bump to the semis and worrying they’ll be humiliated by Paraguay and soccer in this country will be canceled forever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
In the year that followed, the tech index shed 60% of its value, while humiliated defensive names staged a massive comeback, with utilities and consumer staples gaining 25% and 24%, respectively.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
She contacted the man who posted the video, telling him it made her feel "humiliated".
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
He was humiliated, I knew, and wanted to be left alone.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
They argue that a Northern Ireland-style decommissioning—a phased approach to putting weapons beyond reach, seen as more realistic and less humiliating than a straight disarmament—could help unlock the path to peace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
It was a humiliating showing for the 63-year-old Bucknor, drawing ridicule from players and fans alike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
A last-gasp 1-0 defeat by Ivory Coast in the opener was followed by a humiliating goalless draw with debutants Curacao - which turned the fans against the coach.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Its decision arrived just hours after the Supreme Court’s sixth reversal of the 5th Circuit so far this term, with several more likely to come—a humiliating record for the appeals court.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2026
Something humiliating, although, if I was lucky, the letter would contain something embarrassing.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
