humiliate

verb

humiliated; humiliating

transitive verb

: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The biggest threat facing the pair is senior MI6 official Jim Richardson (Hugh Bonneville), who has been keeping tabs on the Sudanese, and sees in Martian’s love for Samia an opportunity to both humiliate and strong-arm his former ally into sharing CIA secrets. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025 Someone may be a masochist but not into being humiliated. Fran Tirado, Them, 10 Jan. 2025 Those Syrians who have learned the language, taken on jobs and made lives for themselves in Germany have felt disappointed in and humiliated by the swiftness of discussions about their status in the country. Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024 His hate for Drake led to perhaps his most compelling musical era yet, and his decision to publicly humiliate his enemy is poised to be a catalyst for a new chapter of LA rap. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for humiliate 

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin humiliatus, past participle of humiliare, from Latin humilis low — more at humble

First Known Use

circa 1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of humiliate was circa 1534

Dictionary Entries Near humiliate

Cite this Entry

“Humiliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humiliate. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

humiliate

verb
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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