as in meekly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
humbly accepted the criticism
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Recent Examples of humbly
Some films herald the scope of their ambitions from the opening frame, whereas others start humbly with a mastery that slowly comes to the fore.
—
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
Intricate details of both spacecraft stages, down to some individual rivets, can be seen along the spacecraft hulls, while Earth hangs humbly in the background on the bottom half of the frame.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 18 May 2026
Culhane humbly says this is what helped platform him.
—Ella Gonzales
may 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Among all these elaborate and painstakingly studied novelties, loaves of barbari, the bread that kicked it off, await almost humbly.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.
—Cody J Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
When a coalition of figures assembled at a Georgetown University forum, in February, 2023, the former Crown Prince sat humbly in a row of eight, alongside two actresses, a soccer player, and an Iranian Kurdish separatist.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Preston and Stacy have a 45-year-long romance that began humbly and has flourished as their family and finances have grown.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
Intricate details of both spacecraft stages, down to some individual rivets, can be seen along the spacecraft hulls, while Earth hangs humbly in the background on the bottom half of the frame.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 18 May 2026
Culhane humbly says this is what helped platform him.
—Ella Gonzales
may 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Among all these elaborate and painstakingly studied novelties, loaves of barbari, the bread that kicked it off, await almost humbly.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.
—Cody J Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
When a coalition of figures assembled at a Georgetown University forum, in February, 2023, the former Crown Prince sat humbly in a row of eight, alongside two actresses, a soccer player, and an Iranian Kurdish separatist.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Preston and Stacy have a 45-year-long romance that began humbly and has flourished as their family and finances have grown.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbly
Adverb
-
Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Three sitting rooms are complemented by a further three members’ social spaces for carousing in, concealed behind a subtle screen (here, DJs including Goldierocks make appearances, and mobile snaps are banned; staff politely place a sticker over mobile camera lenses).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
-
As the credits rolled, the audience clapped politely.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Precedent thus gave the judge reason to deferentially review settlement terms.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
-
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But while fertilizer prices are now far higher, crop prices have risen only modestly so far, leaving growers exposed, El-Hoshy said.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
-
Menu prices have begun to rise — modestly, according to a May 12 report by the National Restaurant Association.—
Natassia Paloma,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adverb
-
And Colorado Springs Switchbacks earned a 3-1 win over lowly Sporting Kansas City.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
15 Apr. 2026
-
To win the division, the Ravens would need to win at Green Bay and Pittsburgh and have the Steelers lose to lowly Cleveland in Week 17.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbly. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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