humiliate
verb
hu·mil·i·ate
hyü-ˈmi-lē-ˌāt 
yü-
humiliated; humiliating
: to reduce (someone) to a lower position in one's own eyes or others' eyes : to make (someone) ashamed or embarrassed : mortify
hoped they wouldn't humiliate themselves in their next game
accused her of humiliating him in public
feel so humiliated
Examples of humiliate in a Sentence
I hope I don't humiliate myself during the presentation.
He accused her of trying to humiliate him in public.
She was hurt and deeply humiliated by the lies he told about her.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump World even humiliated Abe by letting it be known that Abe had nominated the U.S. leader for a Nobel Peace Prize.
—
William Pesek, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
The temptation for Russia to humiliate London and Paris - by breaking any ceasefire with an attack carried out hundreds of miles away from British and French troops stuck in the capital - could prove hard to resist.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
Here are more thoughts on an Argentine rout and Brazilian embarrassment:
Argentina reigns supreme in South America
With Argentina leading by three goals, Martínez, Aston Villa’s star goalkeeper, received a pass back and began to juggle the ball, further humiliating the Brazilians.
—Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Swerve Strickland publicly humiliated Ricochet, sparking a heated rivalry.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
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William Pesek, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
The temptation for Russia to humiliate London and Paris - by breaking any ceasefire with an attack carried out hundreds of miles away from British and French troops stuck in the capital - could prove hard to resist.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
Here are more thoughts on an Argentine rout and Brazilian embarrassment:
Argentina reigns supreme in South America
With Argentina leading by three goals, Martínez, Aston Villa’s star goalkeeper, received a pass back and began to juggle the ball, further humiliating the Brazilians.
—Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Swerve Strickland publicly humiliated Ricochet, sparking a heated rivalry.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
Cite this Entry
“Humiliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humiliate. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
humiliate
verb
hu·mil·i·ate
hyü-ˈmil-ē-ˌāt
yü-
humiliated; humiliating
: to cause a loss of pride or self-respect : humble
Etymology
from Latin humiliatus "made to lose pride or self-respect," from earlier humiliare "to make low or humble," from humilis "low, humble," from humus "earth"
Word Origin
In modern English we sometimes say that a person who has been criticized or humiliated has been put down. We speak as though the person had actually been forced to the ground or made to bow down in front of someone else. The origins of the word humiliate itself also suggest the idea of physically putting someone down to the ground. Humiliate can be be traced back to the Latin humus, meaning "earth, ground." From humus came the Latin adjective humilis, meaning "low, humble," which later gave rise to the verb humiliare, meaning "to make low or humble." The English humiliate derives from Latin humiliare.
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