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
Remember, Trump kicked off his political career by claiming Obama wasn't born here, and reportedly decided to run for president only after Obama humiliated him to his face at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011.
—
Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
In addition to the City of Hartford and Hartford School Board, the complaint named Tilda Santiago, a special education case manager who allegedly repeatedly bullied and harassed Ortiz by yelling and humiliating the teen in front of other students and teachers.
—David Chiu, People.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Even tyrants deserve to know the truth without being publicly humiliated.
—Todd Nordstrom, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Slanted starts in 2015 with a young Joan (Kristen Cui) arriving in America with her family and feeling humiliated on the first day of school.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
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Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
In addition to the City of Hartford and Hartford School Board, the complaint named Tilda Santiago, a special education case manager who allegedly repeatedly bullied and harassed Ortiz by yelling and humiliating the teen in front of other students and teachers.
—David Chiu, People.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Even tyrants deserve to know the truth without being publicly humiliated.
—Todd Nordstrom, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Slanted starts in 2015 with a young Joan (Kristen Cui) arriving in America with her family and feeling humiliated on the first day of school.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 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 3 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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