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:
“The lesson of this relationship,” said Radchenko, “is that you don’t use your position as the senior partner to humiliate the junior partner.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
At the time, Wallace said he was "deeply sorry for any distress" he caused, and that he "never set out to harm or humiliate".
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
But no one here is out to humiliate anyone, which is nasty and unkind and not at all the sort of humor Lawrence trades in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026
"By insisting on retraction China is trying to humiliate her and turning up the heat on the controversy," Kingston said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
They’d all seemed to have abruptly forgotten that I was still the same girl they’d tried to humiliate, over and over again.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
Critics say Philips doesn't just challenge those beliefs - he humiliates the people who hold them.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
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
“It really humiliates the nay-sayers, who think it’s somehow OK for some people to get healthcare and others not,” Kidder said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2022
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
He added that the "entire nation" was being "humiliated" by Iran.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
At the commencement of the match, they were privately expecting to see Fischer humiliated on the board.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Looking back, he gained a foothold in mainstream politics only because of the humiliating defeat of Kamala Harris, and the soul-searching that followed.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
Morocco is to co-host the 2030 World Cup and Moroccan Football chief Fouzi Lekjaa is one of the few to have publicly supported Infantino since the humiliating climbdown.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
In the hours after the humiliating public disclosure, Roh told friends she wondered whether she had been too selfish and inconsiderate of her husband’s emotions, according to local media reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The game took place days after the Netherlands' semi-final penalty shootout defeat by Argentina and after Brazil's humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany on home soil.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
“Bob and I believe that the worst course of action is to continue in this essentially passive role which can lead only to eventual defeat and an invitation to get out in humiliating circumstances.”
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
