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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Nigel Hack, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Industries are urgently searching for cost-effective, sustainable alternatives, and some answers may lie in a humble kitchen ingredient.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 13 Oct. 2025
Then, the team offered something of a tribute to the final years of Sullivan’s time in Pittsburgh in a humbling 6-1 loss.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Adjective
The food is hearty, humble, and deeply satisfying.
—Nigel Hack, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Industries are urgently searching for cost-effective, sustainable alternatives, and some answers may lie in a humble kitchen ingredient.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
There was something so humbling and beautiful in seeing one great athlete crown another.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 13 Oct. 2025
Then, the team offered something of a tribute to the final years of Sullivan’s time in Pittsburgh in a humbling 6-1 loss.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Adjective
-
Tessa Thompson stars as the willful heroine, married to a rather meek academic, George Tesman (Tom Bateman), who’s angling for an important university position.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Employment growth is meek, but the labor market is holding steady.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The organization’s Green Heart Project, which studies the impact of better air quality on heart disease through urban greening, has found that increasing the number of trees and shrubs in an area can create lower levels of a blood marker associated with inflammation.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Here is Carreras profiting from that exact ploy while playing for Benfica against Barcelona in the Champions League last season, sneaking forward on the far side before receiving the switch and hammering a low cross into striker Vangelis Pavlidis to score.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Bahrain is ruled by Sunnis and has a mostly Shiite population permanently restless over its servile condition.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
-
His servile defense secretary has threatened to deploy the military in other cities.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
Pressing for payment could humiliate people, who often arrive with their extended families, Parmar explained, and in a community this close-knit, that could mean losing dozens of patients, including many of the Medicaid patients who keep the clinic afloat.—
Helen Ouyang,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
-
By the time the cameras stopped clicking and the newsmen flew home, Kentucky had been humiliated in the national press, the onlooker’s violence both disputed and affirmed in accounts of this day.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
American's stock is down 20% this year through Friday's close, compared with modest gains posted by Delta and United.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The smaller, bronze set found at Tunnug 1 indicates a modest debut, particularly since the style would later become strongly associated with gold.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The members of each faction, from the lowliest grunt to the top of the chain, are framed to be completely committed to their group’s cause.—
Jason Fanelli,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
According to multiple reports, including one from USA Today insider Bob Nightengale, the Braves on Tuesday signed on a minor-league deal with catcher Austin Nola, a six-year major league veteran who appeared in 14 games for the lowly Colorado Rockies this past season.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His hair is the kind of shaggy that suggests abject neglect more than overpriced Hollywood coiffure.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Ask the tweenagers who won’t stop saying both numbers, to the abject confusion of their parents.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The study authors looked at 13 samples and found no traces of typhus, but their work does not discredit the findings of the 2006 study, the researchers noted.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Many fans have welcomed her to the two-time winners club, joining the likes of Tony Vlachos and Sandra Diaz-Twine, while others have discredited her triumph.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share