humble 1 of 2

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

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2
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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humble

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of humble
Adjective
The key is to strike a balance between being too humble and coming across as merely boastful. John Hall, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025 By Start Slideshow Start Slideshow Has any other product experienced a glow up quite like the humble water bottle? Madeline Fitzgerald, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2025
Verb
Humiliate the humbled: Both Trump and Musk use public appearances and social media posts to bully and pummel critics across politics, media and culture. Axios, 13 Feb. 2025 Walz, could you at least be humbled by the number, $610 million and counting? Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Adjective
  • Small mercies are welcome when the losses are this meek.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Sometimes, young players of his profile are quite meek — apologetic for their ability, even.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 27 July 2024
Adjective
  • Keep clear of puddles - Driving through puddles or low rainwater areas can cause vehicles to hydroplane or skid out of control Do not follow large vehicles closely - Large vehicles like trucks or buses can create a spray of water that can reduce your visibility.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2025
  • This study found that western edge residents had higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer, as well as lower per capita income and higher health care costs.
    Beth Ann Malow, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • His co-stars, like Will Ferrell’s savage Mugatu, Owen Wilson’s stoner hottie Hansel, and Nathan Lee Graham’s servile Todd — all so precise and well-defined in the original’s ravelike milieu — are doomed to retrace their old steps here.
    Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
  • These officials could, in turn, redistribute some of their private goods among their own servile lieutenants, but the monarch retained ultimate power to grant or revoke their privileged status.
    Serhiy Kudelia, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2014
Verb
  • No, Trump Did Not ‘Bring Back Free Speech’ An August 2024 report by Columbia’s task force on antisemitism found that Jews and Israelis at Columbia were often ostracized and humiliated on campus.
    Solcyré Burga, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Committee Chairman James Comer will use the hearing to humiliate blue-city mayors and to please the White House and fire up his extremist MAGA base.
    Peter Cunningham, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Lowe’s said full-year total sales could see modest growth.
    Alex Harring, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Though Hong Kong’s economy grew at a modest pace of 2.5% in 2024, China’s stimulus measures lifted investor sentiment, driving up the benchmark Hang Seng index by more than a third from a year ago.
    Jane Ho, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • More news: Cowboys Predicted to Target Free Agent Pro Bowl Running Back The Dolphins were trounced in their final game of the regular season by the lowly New York Jets in a game that was indicative of the entire season.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
  • The show then positions him as a lowly subordinate to his rich half-siblings throughout the season, a choice made more noxious by how the script uses his working-class roots as the basis for jokes at his expense.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Your inability to establish a rational, functional and legal system of immigration is an abject failure on your part.
    Peter Cunningham, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
  • That, Spoelstra said, has been helped by getting greater stability with the rotation, including Andrew Wiggins filling a void that had been the abject disinterest of Jimmy Butler.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • But Dickens claims the opposite, and argues that the research purporting to discredit spelling has fallen out of date.
    Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Incident brought ‘discredit to the Sheriff’s Office’ Sgt.
    Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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