humble
Americanadjective
-
humbler,
comparative
-
humblest
superlative
-
not proud or arrogant; modest.
Though very successful, she remained humble.
- Synonyms:
- unpretentious
- Antonyms:
- proud
-
having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc..
In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.
- Synonyms:
- meek, deferential
- Antonyms:
- proud
-
low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly.
of humble origin;
a humble home.
- Synonyms:
- poor, common, plain, unassuming
-
courteously respectful.
In my humble opinion you are wrong.
- Synonyms:
- polite
-
low in height, level, etc.; small in size.
a humble member of the galaxy.
verb (used with object)
-
humbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
humbled,
past participle, past
-
humbling
present participle
adjective
-
conscious of one's failings
-
unpretentious; lowly
a humble cottage
my humble opinion
-
deferential or servile
verb
-
to cause to become humble; humiliate
-
to lower in status
Synonym Usage
Humble, degrade, humiliate suggest lowering or causing to seem lower. To humble is to bring down the pride of another or to reduce them to a state of abasement: to humble an arrogant enemy. To degrade is to demote in rank or standing, or to reduce to a low level in dignity: to degrade an officer; to degrade oneself by lying. To humiliate is to make others feel or appear inadequate or unworthy, especially in some public setting: to humiliate a sensitive person.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
humblenessnoun
-
humblernoun
-
humbledadjective
-
humblingadjective
-
overhumbleadjective
-
quasi-humbleadjective
-
unhumbleadjective
-
humblinglyadverb
-
humblyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
humblesimple
-
humblessimple
-
have humbledperfect
-
has humbledperfect
-
am humblingprogressive
-
are humblingprogressive
-
is humblingprogressive
-
have been humblingperfect progressive
-
has been humblingperfect progressive
Past
-
humbledsimple
-
had humbledperfect
-
was humblingprogressive
-
were humblingprogressive
-
had been humblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of humble
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English (h)umble, from Old French, from Latin humilis “lowly, insignificant, on the ground”; see humus, -ile
Explanation
Humble means "modest; without an excess of pride." A person who brags about being humble may have too much pride in being humble to actually be humble. Sometimes fictional characters try to earn favor by saying "I'm just a humble man in search of..." when it is obvious they are the opposite. Truly humble people keep quiet about their accomplishments and the good things they do. Humble can also mean "low in station or quality." If you come from a humble background, you didn't grow up wealthy, and if you live in a humble apartment, it isn't overly grand or showy.
Vocabulary lists containing humble
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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:
“I just try to be humble and try to prove to myself that I deserve to be here,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
If the other parties "choose not to stand, somebody has to stand up and be the opposition. And so it's my humble duty to actually be His Majesty's official opposition," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
A few 9s to keep the ignition crew humble.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
It’s just one example of how the humble frank has been experiencing a cultural glow-up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Never look them in the eyes; always be respectful; remain humble; remember that they are good, fine people; don’t make folks angry; never run around by yourself; be careful, be careful, be careful.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Gilgamesh’s lament is not the stylized keening of epic tradition—not Achilles’ highfalutin howls after Hector strikes down Patroclus—but something rawer, humbler, more recognizably human.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
“Then our dreams became humbler, to liberate our own lands. Now it’s even less. We don’t want to liberate anything. We just want to stay home and not leave our homes,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
Still, the rewards that come with the new travel debit cards are much humbler than those of even the least generous credit cards from the same companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
But I believe the answer to those scourges can be found not in an advocate’s crusading righteousness, but in a journalist’s humbler mission: to seek the truth and help people understand the world.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
It might get noised about that the Pontelliers had met with reverses, and were forced to conduct their ménage on a humbler scale than heretofore.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Soon even the humblest burgh in the hinterland could lay claim to a flourishing pizzeria.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
And yes, don’t be shy about layering: a little sprinkle of grated parmesan on top of melted mozzarella or cheddar can elevate even the humblest frozen fry to dinner-party territory.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2025
Throckmorton’s shuttering occurred in the era before the internet conferred immortality to even the humblest of establishments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2024
Will, the humblest member of our group of five heroes, learned last episode that he is dying of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2024
Pinmei stumbled, pulling Yishan with her so they both ended up in the humblest of kowtows.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
He has a flop with his film, “Big Top Pee-wee,” which humbles him.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025
The idea that I’ve had all this experience humbles me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024
“And when you are music director of the New York Philharmonic, you are part of the New York Philharmonic. And in a way that humbles us.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
“Hard for me to accept that a once world-class athlete just stumbled. But age is the great equalizer and humbles us all.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
"Only a fool humbles himself when the world is so full of men eager to do that job for him."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
I am humbled that you’d ask me for a third opinion.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
A deeper criticism is that in the diary he doesn’t seem at all humbled by the role in which he’s been cast, or by his responsibilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Asked about how the president feels to have the Florida airport named after him, Eric Trump said he was "honored" and "humbled."
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Badenoch added her party "is working to earn the trust of the country again", and is "grateful and humbled" that residents of Aberdeen South voted for the Tories.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Yet he could not have been so humbled unless he had shared and accepted the vision that had crushed him, the common vision that bound us all together.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
The fumble with the NFL was a humbling experience for Iger, who is a lifelong passionate sports fan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
It’s very humbling to see that level of support for me and women’s basketball in general.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
"Their bravery and strength has been humbling," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
That is a humbling admission from a company long accustomed to running the table on its suppliers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Working at the Dollar Store was mind-numbing and humbling work.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
