1
as in meek
not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness
a medical scientist who remained remarkably humble even after winning the Nobel Prize even though she'd been proven wrong, her attitude was still far from humble
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
a humble peasant girl who claimed she was chosen by God to restore the French king to his throne
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3
as in servile
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
please accept my humble thanks for this unexpected favor
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
Philip was utterly humbled by a crushing defeat in the first round of the state chess tournament
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humble
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
The Canadian festival launchpad also reflects the Canuck roots of a comedy legend known for being a gentle and humble everyman to Hollywood audiences before his unexpected death in 1994.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
Representing India in a section that celebrates bold new voices is both humbling and encouraging.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Adjective
On Thursday, reflective and humble, McDaniels insisted living and learning has been a lesson unto itself over his career.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
The Canadian festival launchpad also reflects the Canuck roots of a comedy legend known for being a gentle and humble everyman to Hollywood audiences before his unexpected death in 1994.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
All of the footage of Powell playing football as Chad or Russ, went straight to Eli for his feedback, which was humbling, to say the least.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
Representing India in a section that celebrates bold new voices is both humbling and encouraging.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Adjective
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What threatened to be a meek, straight-sets exit for the 13th seed went full-metal crazy on match point down when Bonzi was interrupted from serving it out after a photographer absent-mindedly walked onto the court.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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Social deficits can manifest as belligerent or meek.—
Tao Lin,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Steer clear of puddles - Driving into puddles or low areas of rainwater can cause vehicles to hydroplane or skid out of control.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Bahrain is ruled by Sunnis and has a mostly Shiite population permanently restless over its servile condition.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
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His servile defense secretary has threatened to deploy the military in other cities.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Verb
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And Sacks, a PayPal Mafia member and veteran Silicon Valley investor, is just the sort of titan of industry this town routinely devours and humiliates — from Rex Tillerson to, well, Elon Musk.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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And whether the Carolina Panthers are just stuck in an endless loop of embarrassment, one that alternately humiliates and enrages their fans.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Where Old-World Wallpaper Works Best Historically, wallpaper began adorning cupboard interiors and modest rooms of merchant homes.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Allen led Buffalo to a 13-4 finish a year despite modest production from his receivers.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One of the latest episode on his YouTube channel SciShow is all about knitting, and how science is elevating the lowly craft to a place of actual importance.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
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A little lowly courier work, yes, but nothing more raffish than that.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Weaknesses: About that quarterback: Caleb Williams was drafted No. 1 overall into a pretty favorable situation, making his rookie season an abject failure (particularly relative to the No. 2 pick).—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Aug. 2025
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Weapons plays along the same lines in this sub-genre’s sandbox, too, denying easy catharsis after wracking viewers’ nerves with its combination of pitch-black humor, abject grief, and superbly conducted jump scares.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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About two hours later, the US Air Force dropped military flares in the sky, with rumors stating this was an attempt to cover up and discredit the UFO incident that occurred earlier in the evening.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
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Eventually, however, Lowell’s ideas were discredited—Schiaparelli, once an ally, renounced them—and the world moved on.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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