Synonyms of humble

humble 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhəm-bəl 

1

as in meek

not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness

a medical scientist who remained remarkably humble even after winning the Nobel Prize

even though she'd been proven wrong, her attitude was still far from humble

Synonyms & Similar Words

• meek
• modest
• unassuming
• unaffected
• lowly
• timid
• down-to-earth
• unpretentious
• naive
• demure
• shy
• simple
• quiet
• passive
• deferential
• subdued
• submissive
• unassertive
• acquiescent
• compliant
• naïve
• resigned
• unaggressive
• plain
• ingenuous
• reserved
• bashful
• unobtrusive
• diffident
• yielding
• sheepish
• shrinking
• retiring
• introverted
• mousy
• self-effacing
• cowering
• cringing
• mousey
• self-deprecating
• self-deprecatory
• aw-shucks
• overmodest

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• arrogant
• haughty
• superior
• egotistical
• pretentious
• pompous
• conceited
• presumptuous
• supercilious
• imperious
• bumptious
• aggressive
• egotistic
• impudent
• assertive
• high-and-mighty
• confident
• uppity
• bold
• peremptory
• audacious
• cheeky
• lordly
• uppish
• forward
• huffy
• saucy
• brash
• cocky
• impertinent
• highfalutin
• high-handed
• brassy
• high-hat
• overweening
• chesty
• smug
• presuming
• egocentric
• overconfident
• prideful
• narcissistic
• hubristic
• cocksure
• boastful
• vain
• egoistic
• self-assertive
• dominant
• hifalutin
• egoistical
• hoity-toity
• bombastic
• huffish
• vainglorious
• toplofty
• self-asserting
• condescending
• fastuous
• toploftical
• disdainful
• domineering
• self-confident
• patronizing
• showy
• swaggering
• flamboyant
• overbearing
• magisterial
• self-centered
• ostentatious
• dominating
• self-important
• self-complacent
• self-contented
• self-satisfied
• self-conceited
• outgoing
• uninhibited
• stuck-up
• self-congratulatory
• self-engrossed
• self-obsessed
• braggy
• self-affected
• immodest
• self-pleased
• swelled-headed
• unreserved
• extroverted
• extraverted
• pontificating

2

as in low

belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank

a humble peasant girl who claimed she was chosen by God to restore the French king to his throne

Synonyms & Similar Words

• low
• lowly
• plebeian
• ignoble
• proletarian
• unwashed
• lower-class
• common
• poor
• vulgar
• inferior
• low-life
• lumpen
• mean
• lowborn
• prole
• simple
• middle-class
• baseborn
• bourgeois
• plain
• working-class
• déclassé
• downscale
• down-market

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gentle
• noble
• great
• lofty
• high
• aristocratic
• grand
• genteel
• patrician
• upper-class
• prominent
• upper-crust
• illustrious
• eminent
• notable
• highborn
• blue-blooded
• highbred
• wellborn

3

as in servile

showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness

please accept my humble thanks for this unexpected favor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• meek
• servile
• abject
• menial
• base
• slavish
• modest
• unassuming
• sheepish
• lowly
• hangdog
• unpretentious
• retiring
• lamblike
• sycophantic
• demure
• fawning
• sycophant
• toadyish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• arrogant
• haughty
• superior
• supercilious
• imperious
• uppity
• lordly
• high-handed

humble

2 of 2

verb

ˈhəm-bəl 

as in to humiliate

to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes

Philip was utterly humbled by a crushing defeat in the first round of the state chess tournament

Synonyms & Similar Words

• humiliate
• discredit
• embarrass
• shame
• disgrace
• insult
• confuse
• demean
• take down
• dishonor
• degrade
• abase
• rattle
• criticize
• chasten
• cheapen
• debase
• lower
• smirch
• sink
• foul
• diminish
• ridicule
• disparage
• mortify
• minimize
• detract
• confound
• belittle
• faze
• affront
• discount
• disconcert
• write off
• condemn
• discountenance
• malign
• nonplus
• slander
• decry
• abash
• fluster
• depreciate
• cry down
• damn
• put down
• discomfit
• libel
• defame
• castigate
• defile
• bad-mouth
• denounce
• censure
• reprobate
• execrate
• reprehend

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• honor
• exalt
• praise
• elevate
• commend
• salute
• congratulate
• applaud
• recognize
• boast
• compliment
• cheer
• acknowledge
• celebrate
• aggrandize
• laud
• decorate
• deify
• canonize
• extol
• acclaim
• hail
• eulogize
• cite
• extoll
• tout
• highlight
• spotlight
• dignify
• fete
• glorify
• ennoble
• promote
• play up
• lift
• raise
• uplift
• magnify
• advance
• enthrone
• enshrine
• boost
• upgrade
• fête
• idealize
• romanticize
• ensky

Examples of humble in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Three decades since its humble beginnings, the festival continues to position itself as a key incubator of regional talent with a dash of Hollywood glamor — a place to discover new voices and revisit old favorites, which has been the festival’s calling card since day one. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 14 Aug. 2024

For example, her latest collection included luxe gowns crafted in humble jersey; the Quincy dress with fringes made of ombre silk organza tubular strands and handcrafted 3D floraldecorations, including some cast in metal. —Emily Mercer, WWD, 14 Aug. 2024

Verb

Greenblatt, who is Jewish and Puerto Rican, always felt protected by her parents (and humbled by her older brother Gavin, 20, an aspiring designer). —Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2024

Here, the competitive spirit and group camaraderie starts to shine as everyone gets humbled quickly on the slick surface, spinning the cars repeatedly as the traction and electronic stability controls are switched off. —Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2024