MEANING
1. To make someone feel less proud or important, often by exposing limits or causing defeat.
2. Not claiming exaggerated importance or superiority.
3. Low in social position, status, or origin.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- humble a rival
- be humbled by generosity
On the page
The apprentice’s skill humbled him more than the judges' criticism had.
She was humbled by a generosity she could neither repay nor explain.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- humble
- Past tense
- humbled
- Past participle
- humbled
- Present participle
- humbling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- humble
- Present continuous
- am/is/are humbling
- Present perfect
- have/has humbled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been humbling
- Past
- humbled
- Past continuous
- was/were humbling
- Past perfect
- had humbled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been humbling
- Future
- will humble
- Future continuous
- will be humbling
- Future perfect
- will have humbled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been humbling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: humble; humbles; humbled; humbled; humbling Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: humbles.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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