humble
Use Humble in a sentence
bəl, ˈʌm- adjective
1.
not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful.
2.
having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.: In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.
3.
low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly: of humble origin; a humble home.
4.
courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.
5.
low in height, level, etc.; small in size: a humble member of the galaxy.
verb (used with object)
6.
to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.
7.
to destroy the independence, power, or will of.
8.
to make meek: to humble one's heart.
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Humble
is one of our favorite verbs.
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| chat, to converse |
| to bark; yelp. |
Origin:
1200–50; Middle English (h)umble < Old French < Latin humilis lowly, insignificant, on the ground. See humus, -ile
1200–50; Middle English (h)umble < Old French < Latin humilis lowly, insignificant, on the ground. See humus, -ile
Related forms
hum·ble·ness, noun
hum·bler, noun
hum·bling·ly, adverb
hum·bly, adverb
o·ver·hum·ble, adjective
o·ver·hum·ble·ness, noun
o·ver·hum·b·ly, adverb
qua·si-hum·ble, adjective
qua·si-hum·b·ly, adverb
self-hum·bling, adjective
un·hum·ble, adjective
un·hum·ble·ness, noun
un·hum·b·ly, adverb
un·hum·bled, adjective
Synonyms
1. unpretending, unpretentious. 2. submissive, meek. 3. unassuming, plain, common, poor. 4. polite. 6. mortify, shame, abash. 7. subdue, crush, break. Humble, degrade, humiliate suggest lowering or causing to seem lower. To humble is to bring down the pride of another or to reduce him or her 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.
1. unpretending, unpretentious. 2. submissive, meek. 3. unassuming, plain, common, poor. 4. polite. 6. mortify, shame, abash. 7. subdue, crush, break. Humble, degrade, humiliate suggest lowering or causing to seem lower. To humble is to bring down the pride of another or to reduce him or her 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.
Antonyms
1, 2. proud. 3. noble, exalted. 4. rude, insolent. 6. elevate. 8. exalt.
1, 2. proud. 3. noble, exalted. 4. rude, insolent. 6. elevate. 8. exalt.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To humble
Collins
World English Dictionary
humble (ˈhʌmbəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | conscious of one's failings |
| 2. | unpretentious; lowly: a humble cottage; my humble opinion |
| 3. | deferential or servile |
| —vb | |
| 4. | to cause to become humble; humiliate |
| 5. | to lower in status |
| [C13: from Old French, from Latin humilis low, from humus the ground] | |
| 'humbled | |
| —adj | |
| 'humbleness | |
| —n | |
| 'humbler | |
| —n | |
| 'humbling | |
| —adj | |
| 'humblingly | |
| —adv | |
| 'humbly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
humble
mid-13c., from O.Fr. humble, earlier humele, from L. humilis "lowly, humble," lit. "on the ground," from humus "earth." Senses of "not self-asserting" and "of low birth or rank" were both in M.E. The verb is late 14c. in the intransitive sense of "to render oneself humble;" late 15c. in the transitive
sense of "to lower (someone) in dignity."
"Don't be so humble; you're not that great." [Golda Meir]To eat humble pie (1830) is from umble pie (1640s), pie made from umbles "edible inner parts of an animal" (especially deer), considered a low-class food. The similar sense of similar-sounding words (the "h" of humble was not pronounced then) converged in the pun. Umbles, meanwhile, is M.E. numbles "offal" (with loss of n- through assimilation into preceding article), from O.Fr. nombles "loin, fillet," from L. lumulus, dim. of lumbus "loin."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
The couple wanted something humble that blended into the environment.
In my humble opinion, they should not have been laid off.
His protagonists are often humble people who blossom in the face of difficulty.
The contrast between the excited hero's high ambitions and humble abilities generates much of the amusement.
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