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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hu·mil·i·ate       (hyōō-mĭl'ē-āt')  Pronunciation Key  tr.v.   hu·mil·i·at·ed, hu·mil·i·at·ing, hu·mil·i·ates To lower the pride, dignity, or self-respect of. See Synonyms at degrade. [Late Latin humiliāre, humiliāt-, to humble, from humilis, humble; see humble.]

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

humiliate

verb

cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of; "He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss"

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Humiliate

Hum"ble\, a. [Compar. Humbler; superl. Humblest.] [F., fr. L. humilis on the ground, low, fr. humus the earth, ground. See Homage, and cf. Chameleon, Humiliate.]

1. Near the ground; not high or lofty; not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming; as, a humble cottage.

THy humble nest built on the ground. --Cowley.

2. Thinking lowly of one's self; claiming little for one's self; not proud, arrogant, or assuming; thinking one's self ill-deserving or unworthy, when judged by the demands of God; lowly; waek; modest.

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. --Jas. iv. 6.

She should be humble who would please. --Prior.

Without a humble imitation of the divine Author of our . . . religion we can never hope to be a happy nation. --Washington.

Humble plant (Bot.), a species of sensitive plant, of the genus Mimosa (M. sensitiva).

To eat humble pie, to endure mortification; to submit or apologize abjectly; to yield passively to insult or humilitation; -- a phrase derived from a pie made of the entrails or humbles of a deer, which was formerly served to servants and retainers at a hunting feast. See Humbles. --Halliwell. --Thackeray.