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
-
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
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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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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
Northampton scored 14 tries to humiliate Bristol at Franklin's Gardens and confirm their place in the Prem semi-finals.
From BBC ● May 15, 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
I have very mixed feelings about it, because I’m extremely grateful that I’ve made a living and haven’t had to humiliate myself too much in order to do it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
“I need to call Lorren. She’s helping me pick out what to wear so I don’t humiliate myself tomorrow—sartorially speaking. Everything else is still on the table.”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Critics say Philips doesn't just challenge those beliefs - he humiliates the people who hold them.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
What did you bring to the scene where Glinda humiliates Elphaba, giving her that “hideodeous” black hat that she wears to the ball?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2024
Earlier in the film, Patrick also publicly humiliates himself for Kat by singing Frankie Valli's song, "Can't Take My Eyes off You" in front of the whole school.
From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2024
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
My mother’s anger humiliates me; her words chafe my cheeks, and I am crying.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
The world’s two most populous nations saw themselves as ancient civilizations humiliated by industrialized Western powers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Now older, these women appear stronger and more introspective while revisiting how they were manipulated and humiliated for America’s entertainment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
"I felt disheartened, I felt humiliated in so many ways," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
She must also have been embarrassed and possibly humiliated by her employer behaving like this behind her back.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
But he earned respect because he returned to the courts every day no matter how severely he had been humiliated the day before.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Paul Scanlon, from Cardiff, has had a stoma for nearly four years after being diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer, external and said he had suffered "degrading" and "humiliating" treatment at UK airports.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
However, the impact of even a botched attack on B-1 bombers would be humiliating for the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
"When I close my eyes I can still see it, the pity on other passengers' faces. It was humiliating for her."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
In the aftermath of the Rams’ humiliating season-opening defeat in Australia, the team’s defense is dominating the news cycle: edge rusher Myles Garrett’s knee surgery, lineman Aaron Donald’s potential season debut.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell my father the entire humiliating saga.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
