humiliation

[hyoo-mil-ee-ey-shuhn, yoo-]

noun

1. an act or instance of humiliating humiliating or being humiliated.

2. the state or feeling of being humiliated; mortification.

   Synonyms: dishonor, degradation

Other Word Forms

• rehumiliation noun
• self-humiliation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of humiliation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin humiliātiōn- (stem of humiliātiō ). See humiliate, -ion

Synonym Study

See shame.

Example Sentences

In a letter last month, Mr. Ferrer wrote that he was subject to “blows, torture, humiliation, threats and extreme conditions” including “the theft of food and hygiene products ordered by the regime’s minions.”

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The rest, like me, completed their tasks - presumably feeling varying degrees of humiliation - and were rewarded with another calming session of white noise through headphones at the end.

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There is a tendency to make economic tales resemble morality plays, where excess and pride lead ineluctably to poverty and humiliation.

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For Anisimova, the final was a chance to erase the humiliation she endured just two months ago on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

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Skateboarding as a middle-aged woman is often a lesson in abject humiliation.

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Related Words

• confusion 
• degradation 
• disgrace 
• ignominy 
• indignity 
• shame