humble

(hŭm'bəl)
adj., -bler, -blest.

1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.
2. Showing deferential or submissive respect: a humble apology.
3. Low in rank, quality, or station; unpretentious or lowly: a humble cottage.

tr.v., -bled, -bling, -bles.

1. To curtail or destroy the pride of; humiliate.
2. To cause to be meek or modest in spirit.
3. To give a lower condition or station to; abase. See synonyms at degrade.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin humilis, low, lowly, from humus, ground.]

humbleness hum'ble·ness n.
humbler hum'bler n.
humbly hum'bly adv.

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adjective

1. Having or expressing feelings of humility: lowly, meek, modest. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, big/small/amount, self-love/modesty.
2. Lacking high station or birth: baseborn, common, déclassé, declassed, ignoble, lowly, mean², plebeian, unwashed, vulgar. Archaic base². See over/under.
3. Of little distinction: lowly, mean², simple. See plain/fancy.

verb

To deprive of esteem, self-worth, or effectiveness: abase, degrade, demean², humiliate, mortify. Idioms: bring low, take down a peg. See respect/contempt/standing, win/lose/recovery.

adj

Definition: meek, unassuming
Antonyms: assertive, boasting, brave, conceited, egotistical, insolent, overbearing, pretentious, proud, showy

adj

Definition: poor, inferior
Antonyms: grand, luxurious, rich, superior

v

Definition: shame, put down
Antonyms: build up, praise, promote

IN BRIEF: The position of being lower in rank than another.

As we walked along the street, we noticed that one house was humbler than the rest.

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sign description: The index finger begins at the lips, then moves under the opposite flat hand with the palm down.

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Liver, kidney and entrails of a deer obtained at a hunting kill. Made into a pie for the tenants; hence ‘humble pie’.

For a list of words related to humbled, see:

• Weak, Fearful, or Anxious

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See words rhyming with "humble."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Humble.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - ydmyg, underdanig, jævn, simpel, ringe
v. tr. - ydmyge, degradere

idioms:

• eat humble pie    bide skammen i sig, krybe til korset
• in one's humble opinion    efter en persons ringe mening

Nederlands (Dutch)
nederig, onderdanig, eenvoudig, bescheiden, zonder pretenties, van nederige/-lage afkomst, vernederen

Français (French)
adj. - modeste, humble, empreint d'humilité
v. tr. - humilier

idioms:

• eat humble pie    faire des excuses humiliantes, aller à Canossa
• in one's humble opinion    d'après son humble avis

Deutsch (German)
adj. - einfach, bescheiden, demütig
v. - demütigen

idioms:

• eat humble pie    klein beigeben
• in one's humble opinion    nach jmds. bescheidener Meinung

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ταπεινός, ταπεινόφρων, απλός, ασήμαντος
v. - ταπεινώνω

idioms:

• eat humble pie    (καθομ.) ταπεινώνομαι, πέφτουν τα μούτρα μου
• in one's humble opinion    κατά την ταπεινή μου γνώμη

Italiano (Italian)
umiliare, umile

idioms:

• eat humble pie    umiliarsi
• in one's humble opinion    nella propria modesta opinione

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - humilde, submisso
v. - humilhar-se

idioms:

• eat humble pie    desculpar-se
• in one's humble opinion    em sua modesta opinião

Русский (Russian)
скромный, смирять, унижать

idioms:

• eat humble pie    проглотить обиду
• in one's humble opinion    по чьему-либо скромному мнению

Español (Spanish)
adj. - humilde, modesto, sumiso
v. tr. - humillar

idioms:

• eat humble pie    humillarse y pedir perdón
• in one's humble opinion    en la modesta opinión de uno

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - ödmjuk, undergiven, ringa, blygsam, enkel, anspråkslös, hänsynsfull
v. - förödmjuka, kväsa, förnedra

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
卑下的, 粗陋的, 谦逊的, 使...卑下, 贬抑, 挫

idioms:

• eat humble pie    忍辱含垢
• in one's humble opinion    按某人谦恭的意见

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 卑下的, 粗陋的, 謙遜的
v. tr. - 使...卑下, 貶抑, 挫

idioms:

• eat humble pie    忍辱含垢
• in one's humble opinion    按某人謙恭的意見

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 겸손한, 비천한
v. tr. - 천하게 하다, 겸허하게 하다

idioms:

• in one's humble opinion    비견으로는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 謙遜な, つつましい, 卑しい, つまらない, 粗末な, わずかな
v. - 卑しめる, 高慢の鼻を折る, はずかしめる

idioms:

• in one's humble opinion    およばずながら

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) متواضع, ذليل, وضيع, حقير (فعل) يذل, يقهر, يهزم على نحو حاسم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮צנוע, עניו, עלוב, דל, ממוצא נמוך מבחינה חברתית‬
v. tr. - ‮השפיל, הכניע, דיכא‬

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