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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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
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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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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humble
Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
Those humble beginnings of an arcade game that became iconic inspired the exhibit’s designers, said Adam Sabolick, Irvine’s program coordinator for arts and exhibitions.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2025
While we are devastated, we are also humbled by the global community that rallied to help find her.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Adjective
From its humble beginnings in the late 20th century, Google has come to dominate online searches, putting it squarely in the US government's antitrust crosshairs.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
Those humble beginnings of an arcade game that became iconic inspired the exhibit’s designers, said Adam Sabolick, Irvine’s program coordinator for arts and exhibitions.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
Verb
Daniel leads the Terps in goals this season with 32, but they were humbled by Ohio State, 14-10, in the Big Ten title game on May 3.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2025
While we are devastated, we are also humbled by the global community that rallied to help find her.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for humble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humble
Adjective
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That confidence paid off as Farrow received her first Tony nomination for her role as the initially meek homebody Sharon in the play by Jen Silverman, which ran at the Booth Theatre on Broadway from September through December 2024.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2025
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According to the latest report from L.A.’s film office, production days on location decreased more than 22 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared with an already meek period in 2024.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Right now, about 18% of all iPhones are made in India — a number that was in the low single digits just a few years ago.—
Spriha Srivastava,
CNBC,
12 June 2025
-
Dew point values will be around 70 degrees, with heat index values climbing into the low 90s.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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So Alex dons a uniform, buses tables and engages in servile labor for the first time in her life.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
23 Mar. 2025
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Trump’s servile devotion to Putin becomes the new norm overnight as Republicans cower in support of Trump’s new Putin policy.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Ukrainians said they were subjected to beatings, electric shocks and dog attacks by Russian authorities, not only to extract information but to intimidate and humiliate them.—
Richard Engel,
NBC news,
11 June 2025
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Musk, who also owns SpaceX, had backed Isaacman, and felt betrayed and humiliated when Trump changed his mind, according to the report.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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In all likelihood, the impact now would be less than in the past because our oil trade balance is positive; net exports, at 2 million barrels per day, will translate into modest but significant economic benefits.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
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This is still a modest number—less than two per cent of the total—but the number of children born to men who were forty to forty-nine more than doubled during that same timeframe.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
Scientists were only starting to piece together that contaminated water, not flawed character, caused cholera; that smallpox probably originated in rodents; and that yellow fever was the vector work of the lowly mosquito, not the result of immigration or rotting vegetables.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
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The lowly Charlotte Hornets, who haven't made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season, have the No. 4 pick, and will happily take yet another swing at lottery gold.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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For the most part, open-source projects weren’t evenly distributed across teams of volunteers; they were managed by at most a few individuals, who spent the bulk of their waking hours in abject thrall to a user-complaint queue.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
28 May 2025
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This false sense of security is amplified by Kat being composed enough to snark at her rescuer seconds before catastrophe, in contrast to most of Death’s victims, who spend their last moments in abject terror.—
Gayle Sequeira,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Trump’s team is working furiously to keep the bill going on other fronts, too: seeking to discredit Congress’s nonpartisan scorekeeper while savaging Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for resisting the bill and its debt ceiling increase.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
6 June 2025
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The White House has sought to discredit the CBO, but other groups have also presented estimates that conclude that the legislation would expand the U.S. government deficit by trillions of dollars.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humble. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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