as in to discredit
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the reigning tennis champ was humiliated on the court by a newcomer who defeated him in straight sets
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Recent Examples of humiliate
No American was allowed to forget how we were being humiliated.
—
Chris Matthews, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
As long as Iran doesn’t humiliate Trump by restarting its nuclear program, the president can call it a win.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
In the ongoing fight for women’s equal rights, Pawol had proved a female baseball umpire can be second-guessed, proved wrong and humiliated by technology and mocked by howling fans on social media just like a man can.
—Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
Strength is not the capacity to humiliate someone with less power.
—Marc Brackett, Hartford Courant, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
Chris Matthews, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
As long as Iran doesn’t humiliate Trump by restarting its nuclear program, the president can call it a win.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
In the ongoing fight for women’s equal rights, Pawol had proved a female baseball umpire can be second-guessed, proved wrong and humiliated by technology and mocked by howling fans on social media just like a man can.
—Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
Strength is not the capacity to humiliate someone with less power.
—Marc Brackett, Hartford Courant, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for humiliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humiliate
Verb
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News organizations have always faced scrutiny from targets frustrated by elements of their reporting, or looking to discredit those stories altogether.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
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Those accusations have long been discredited.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 June 2026
Verb
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In 1979, Jean-Louis Palladin arrived in Washington from Gascony, France, took up residence in the kitchen of the Watergate Hotel and proceeded to embarrass every serious cook in America.—
Bart Hutchins,
Washington Post,
12 June 2026
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Republicans in Washington are empowered—and eager—to investigate, embarrass, and punish the higher-education field.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The country’s ministry of culture and sports set out a series of rules and regulations which included no pyro, no face paint and no shouting of words that could be degrading towards any person on the field, not even the referee.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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The bones also were coated with a light layer of minerals from the surrounding seawater, which may have prevented them from degrading.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humiliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humiliate. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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