humble

hum·ble

 (hŭm′bəl)

adj. hum·bler, hum·blest

1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.

2. Showing deferential or submissive respect: a humble apology.

3. Low in rank, quality, or station; unpretentious or lowly: a humble cottage.

tr.v. hum·bled, hum·bling, hum·bles

1. To cause to feel humble: "He was humbled by the lack of consolation in Kornblum's expression" (Michael Chabon).

2. To cause to have a lower condition or status; abase.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin humilis, low, lowly, from humus, ground; see dhghem- in Indo-European roots.]

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hum′ble·ness n.

hum′bler n.

hum′bly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

humble

(ˈhʌmbəl)

adj

1. conscious of one's failings

2. unpretentious; lowly: a humble cottage; my humble opinion.

3. deferential or servile

vb (tr)

4. to cause to become humble; humiliate

5. to lower in status

[C13: from Old French, from Latin humilis low, from humus the ground]

ˈhumbled adj

ˈhumbleness n

ˈhumbler n

ˈhumbling adj

ˈhumblingly adv

ˈhumbly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hum•ble

(ˈhʌm bəl, ˈʌm-)

adj. -bler, -blest, adj.

1. not proud or arrogant; modest.

2. low in importance, status, or condition: a humble home.

3. courteously respectful: in my humble opinion.

4. insignificant; inferior; submissive: to feel humble in the presence of a great artist.

v.t.

5. to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase; mortify.

6. to destroy the independence or will of; subdue.

7. to make meek: to humble one's heart.

[1200–50; Middle English (h)umble < Old French < Latin humilis low, lowly, akin to humus ground]

hum′ble•ness, n.

hum′bler, n.

hum′bling•ly, adv.

hum′bly, adv.

syn: humble, degrade, humiliate suggest a lowering in self-respect or in the estimation of others. humble most often refers to a lowering of pride or arrogance, but may refer to a lessening of power or importance: humbled by failure; to humble an enemy. degrade literally means to demote in rank or standing, but commonly refers to a bringing into dishonor or contempt: You degrade yourself by cheating. To humiliate is to make another feel inadequate or unworthy, esp. in a public setting: humiliated by criticism.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

humble

Past participle: humbled
Gerund: humbling

Imperative

humble

humble

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	humble - cause to be unpretentious; "This experience will humble him" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" efface - make inconspicuous; "efface oneself"
	2.	humble - cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of; "He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss" abase, chagrin, humiliate, mortify spite, bruise, injure, offend, hurt - hurt the feelings of; "She hurt me when she did not include me among her guests"; "This remark really bruised my ego" demolish, smash, crush - humiliate or depress completely; "She was crushed by his refusal of her invitation"; "The death of her son smashed her" demean, disgrace, degrade, take down, put down - reduce in worth or character, usually verbally; "She tends to put down younger women colleagues"; "His critics took him down after the lecture"
Adj.	1.	humble - low or inferior in station or quality; "a humble cottage"; "a lowly parish priest"; "a modest man of the people"; "small beginnings" lowly, modest, small, low inferior - of or characteristic of low rank or importance
	2.	humble - marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful; "a humble apology"; "essentially humble...and self-effacing, he achieved the highest formal honors and distinctions"- B.K.Malinowski modest - marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; "a modest apartment"; "too modest to wear his medals" proud - feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride; "proud parents"; "proud of his accomplishments"; "a proud moment"; "proud to serve his country"; "a proud name"; "proud princes"
	3.	humble - used of unskilled work (especially domestic work) menial, lowly unskilled - not having or showing or requiring special skill or proficiency; "unskilled in the art of rhetoric"; "an enthusiastic but unskillful mountain climber"; "unskilled labor"; "workers in unskilled occupations are finding fewer and fewer job opportunities"; "unskilled workmanship"
	4.	humble - of low birth or station (`base' is archaic in this sense); "baseborn wretches with dirty faces"; "of humble (or lowly) birth" baseborn, base, lowly lowborn - of humble birth or origins; "a topsy-turvy society of lowborn rich and blue-blooded poor"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

humble

adjective

1. modest, meek, unassuming, unpretentious, submissive, self-effacing, unostentatious Andy was a humble, courteous and gentle man.
modest lordly, proud, superior, vain, arrogant, pompous, pretentious, conceited, overbearing, haughty, ostentatious, snobbish, presumptuous, immodest, assuming

2. lowly, common, poor, mean, low, simple, ordinary, modest, obscure, commonplace, insignificant, unimportant, unpretentious, undistinguished, plebeian, low-born He came from a fairly humble, poor background.
lowly important, rich, famous, high, significant, distinguished, superior, wealthy, elegant, glorious, aristocratic

3. ordinary, common, commonplace He made his own reflector from a strip of humble kitchen foil.

verb

1. humiliate, shame, disgrace, break, reduce, lower, sink, crush, put down (slang), bring down, subdue, degrade, demean, chagrin, chasten, mortify, debase, put (someone) in their place, abase, take down a peg (informal), abash the little car company that humbled the industry giants
humiliate raise, elevate, magnify, exalt

humble yourself humiliate yourself, grovel, eat humble pie, swallow your pride, eat crow (U.S. informal), abase yourself, go on bended knee He humbled himself and became obedient.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

humble

adjective

1. Having or expressing feelings of humility:

lowly, meek, modest.

2. Lacking high station or birth:

baseborn, common, déclassé, declassed, ignoble, lowly, mean, plebeian, unwashed, vulgar.

Archaic: base.

3. Of little distinction:

lowly, mean, simple.

verb

To deprive of esteem, self-worth, or effectiveness:

abase, degrade, demean, humiliate, mortify.

Idioms: bring low, take down a peg.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

حَقير، وضيعمُتَوَاضِعٌمُتَواضِعيُذِلُّ، يَحُطُّ من كِبْرِياء

pokornýpokořitponíženýnízký

beskedenenkelydmygydmyge

bescheidendemütigdemütigenniedrig

ταπεινόςφτωχικό

humildemodestohumillar

nöyrä

humblehumiliermodesteabaisser

skromannizak

auîmÿkjalágurlítillátur, hógvær, auîmjúkur

umileumiliareandare a Canossa

謙虚な

겸손한

necilspazemīgspazemotvienkāršs

bescheiden

ydmykydmykebeskjedenunderdanig

skromny

humilde

скромный

pokorný

poniženskromen

nizakskromanнизакскроман

ödmjuk

ถ่อมตัว

alçak gönüllüburnunu sürtmekezmekönemsiz

khiêm tốnkhúm núm

使卑下使谦恭地位低下的谦卑的谦虚的

humble

[ˈhʌmbl]

A. ADJ (humbler (compar) (humblest (superl)))

1. (= unassuming) [person] → humilde, modesto; [apology] → humilde
she was very humble about her achievements → era muy modesta respecto a sus éxitos
my humble apologies for keeping you waiting (frm) → mis más humildes disculpas por tenerle esperando
in my humble opinion → en mi humilde or modesta opinión
I am or remain your humble servant (frm) (in letters) → su humilde or seguro/a servidor(a)

2. (= lowly) [person, origins, background] → humilde; [house, home] → humilde, modesto
the humble maggot → el humilde gusano
welcome to our humble abode (hum) → bienvenido a nuestra humilde morada

B. VT

1. (= make humble) → dar una lección de humildad a
Ted's words humbled me → Ted me dio una lección de humildad con sus palabras
it was a humbling experience → fue una lección de humildad
to humble o.s. before God → acercarse a Dios con humildad

2. (= defeat) → humillar

C. CPD humble pie N to eat humble pie → morder el polvo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

humble

[ˈhʌmb^əl]

adj

[person] → humble
to eat humble pie → ravaler son orgueil

[background] → modeste

vt → donner une leçon à
to be humbled (= shamed) → être humilié (e)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

humble

adj (+er)

(= modest) person → bescheiden, demütig (esp Rel); apology → demütig; my humble apologies! → ich bitte inständig um Verzeihung!; to be humble about one’s origins → mit seiner Herkunft nicht angeben; to eat humble pie → klein beigeben; in my humble opinion → meiner bescheidenen Meinung nach ? servant

(= lowly) curate, clerk, beginner → einfach; origins → niedrig, einfach; background, beginnings → bescheiden; of humble origins/birth → von niedriger Herkunft/Geburt

(= insignificant) abode, restaurant, potato, maggot → bescheiden

vt (= crush) → demütigen; to humble oneself → sich demütigen or erniedrigen; to be/feel humbled → sich (dat) → klein vorkommen, sich gedemütigt fühlen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

humble

[ˈhʌmbl]

1. adj (-r (comp) (-st (superl))) → umile; (opinion, occupation) → modesto/a
of humble origins → di umili origini
to eat humble pie → rimangiarsi tutto

2. vt → umiliare
to humble o.s. → abbassarsi, umiliarsi

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

humble

(ˈhambl) adjective

1. not having a high opinion of oneself etc. You have plenty of ability but you're too humble. nederig مُتَواضِع скромен humilde pokorný, ponížený bescheiden ydmyg ταπεινόφρων, υποχωρητικόςhumilde alandlik متواضع vaatimaton humbleצנוע नम्र, विनीत, सीधा सादा skroman alázatos rendah hati lítillátur, hógvær, auðmjúkur umile 謙虚な 겸손한 kuklus pazemīgs rendah hati nederigydmyk, underdanig, beskjedenskromny, pokorny متواضع، خاکسار humilde umil скромный pokorný ponižen skroman blygsam, ödmjuk ถ่อมตัว alçak gönüllü 謙卑的 скромний عاجز khiêm tốn; nhún nhường 谦卑的

2. unimportant; having a low position in society etc. a man of humble origins. beskeie حَقير، وضيع прост humilde nízký niedrig beskeden; enkel ταπεινός, ασήμαντοςhumilde, modesto tagasihoidlik پست alhainen modesteנחות महत्वहीन skroma, ponizan egyszerű rendahan, sederhana lágur umile 卑しい 천한 žemas, menkas vienkāršs; necils berketurunan rendah nederigbeskjeden, enkel, tarvelig niskiego stanu پست humilde modest простой nízky skromen skroman låg, ringa ยากจน; ไม่มีความสำคัญ önemsiz 地位低下的 простий, бідний حقیر thấp kém; hèn mọn 地位低下的

verb

to make (someone) humble. He was humbled by his failure. verneder يُذِلُّ، يَحُطُّ من كِبْرِياء унижавам humilhar pokořit demütigen ydmyge ταπεινώνωhumillar alandama به زانو در آوردن nöyryyttää humilier לְהַשפִּיל नीचा दिखाना poniziti megaláz merendahkan auðmÿkja umiliare 卑しめる (품위·자존심 따위를) 낮추다, 꺾다 pažeminti pazemot menundukkan vernederenydmykeupokorzyć په زنګونو باندی کیناستل humilhar a umili унижать pokoriť, ponížiť ponižati poniziti göra ödmjuk, kväsa ทำให้ตนต่ำต้อย ezmek, burnunu sürtmek 使謙卑 приборкувати; угамовувати عاجز بنانا làm nhục; hạ nhục 使谦恭，使卑下

ˈhumbly adverb

nederig بِتَواضُع смирено humildemente poníženě bescheiden ydmygt ταπεινάhumildemente alandlikult خاضعانه nöyrästi humblement בְּאוֹפֶן מַשפִּיל विनय पूर्वक ponizno, skromno alázatosan dengan rendah hati auðmjúklega umanamente 謙そんして 겸손하게 kukliai pazemīgi dengan rendah hati nederigydmykt uniżenie په خاکساری سره humildemente cu umilinţă, umil скромно pokorne ponižno skromno ödmjukt อย่างต่ำต้อย alçakgönüllükle 謙卑地 скромно ادب سے một cách nhún nhường 谦卑地

ˈhumbleness noun

nederigheid تَواضُع смиреност humildade pokora, nízký původ die Bescheidenheit ydmyghed ταπεινότηταhumildad alandlikkus فروتنی nöyryys humilitéהשפלה विनम्रता poniznost, skromnost alázat(osság) kerendahan hati auðmÿkt, lítillæti, hógværð umiltà 謙そん 겸손함 kuklumas pazemīgums kerendahan hati nederigheidydmykhet, beskjedenhetpokora خاکساری humildade umilinţă скромность pokora; nízky pôvod ponižnost skromnost ödmjukhet ความต่ำต้อย alçakgönüllülük 謙卑 скромність عاجزی، انکساری tính khiêm tốn; tính nhún nhường 谦卑

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see also humility.

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

humble

→ مُتَوَاضِعٌ pokorný ydmyg bescheiden ταπεινός humilde nöyrä humble skroman umile 謙虚な 겸손한 bescheiden ydmyk skromny humilde скромный ödmjuk ถ่อมตัว alçak gönüllü khiêm tốn 谦虚的

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009