DictionaryAI

humble

HUM-buhl/ˈhʌmbəl/

Verbhumbles, humbling, humbled

5 meanings of humble

Practice

  1. 1
    not proudadjective
    Having a low opinion of one's own importance; not proud, arrogant, or assuming.

    Despite her fame, she remained remarkably humble about her achievements.

    The scientist gave a humble speech, crediting her entire team for the discovery.

    UsageCommon frames: humble about your success, humble enough to admit a mistake, and stay humble.

    Similarmodest, unassuming

    Oppositearrogant, proud, conceited, boastful

    Note

    The King James Bible of 1611 sets 'the proude' against 'the humble', using both as nouns for kinds of people. A common modern frame is humble enough to, as when Jamie Jackson wrote in 2012 that Lukas Rosol was 'humble enough to offer commiserations' to Nadal. Unlike the 'unpretentious' sense, this one describes how a person sees themselves, not the size of their house.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. exhibits.lib.byu.edu
    • The 1611 King James Bible contrasts 'the proude' with 'the humble', referring to groups of people, in James 4:6. kingjamesbibleonline.org
    • Jamie Jackson's 2012 article describes Lukas Rosol as 'humble enough to offer commiserations' to Nadal. theguardian.com
  2. 2
    plainadjective
    Not pretentious or grand; modest in size, appearance, or pretension.

    The restaurant began as a humble food stall before becoming famous.

    Her humble cottage stood in sharp contrast to the mansions nearby.

    UsageCommon in humble beginnings, humble origins and a humble home.

    Similarmodest, simple, lowly, unpretentious, plain

    Oppositegrand, pretentious, lavish, ostentatious

    Note

    The oldest picture in the word is the ground itself. Latin humilis, 'low', comes from humus, 'earth', and Cowley could still play on that when he urged himself to follow the lark and build his humble nest on the ground. Applied to things rather than people, it gives quiet credit to the ordinary: the humble 0-6-0 locomotive, a dwelling 'of the humblest kind'.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Humble ultimately derives from Latin humilis, meaning 'low', from humus, meaning 'earth' or 'ground'. en.wiktionary.org
    • Abraham Cowley addresses himself, invoking the lark's example and urging himself to build his humble nest on the ground. en.wikisource.org
    • The phrase 'the humble 0-6-0' is attested in writing about locomotives. en.wiktionary.org
    • The quotation 'of the humblest kind' describes a human dwelling. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    verbreflexivetransitive
    To make someone less proud or arrogant, or to defeat and lower them in power, standing, or self-importance.

    The defeat humbled the once-confident champion.

    Failure can humble even the most arrogant leader.

    UsageOften passive: be humbled by a defeat. I'm humbled in a thank-you speech means you feel honored.

    Similarhumiliate, chasten, deflate, shame, abase

    Oppositeexalt, elevate

    Note

    Here the change is inward, and the grammar shows it. The verb is often reflexive (to humble oneself) or passive, as in Leonard Cohen's 'you've been humbled in love'. The subject is frequently an experience rather than a rival. In Dana Spiotta's review of T. C. Boyle, a sick son and an aging body both humble the same man, and they leave him better for it.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • Leonard Cohen's lyrics contain the quoted passive construction. en.wiktionary.org
    • Dana Spiotta's review of T. C. Boyle describes Sten being humbled by his son's illness and his own aging, suggesting that this improves him. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    verbobsoleteintransitive
    To produce a low, droning sound; to hum.
    Note

    An unrelated word happens to share the spelling. It is a Middle English frequentative of hum, built like hum + -le, so it means humming over and over and has nothing to do with lowliness. It turns up in the jingling pair humbling and bumbling.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • The sound-producing verb is an unrelated homonym, derived from a reconstructed Middle English frequentative of hum and equivalent to hum + -le. en.wiktionary.org
    • A frequentative formation expresses repeated action, supporting the explanation of repeated humming. en.wikipedia.org
    • The phrase humbling and bumbling is listed for this verb. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 5
    nounslang
    An arrest based on weak evidence, made to demean or punish the person rather than to prosecute a genuine crime.
    Years ago, guys on Baltimore's streets would have, by definition, called an arrest for loitering a "humble."
    2005, Gregory Kane, “'Jive humble' arrests help fill Central Booking's cell”

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of humble apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–2

It came through Middle English and Old French humble from Latin humilis ('low', and so 'mean' or 'humble'), from humus ('the earth, ground'). It replaced the native Old English word ēaþmōd.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts

Meaning 3

This verb was made from the adjective humble. In Middle English it was humblen, meaning "to humble."

Meaning 4

Middle English is thought to have had a verb *humblen or *humbelen, a form implied by humblynge ("a humming, a faint rumbling"). It was a frequentative, or repeated-action, form of Middle English hummen ("to hum"), the same as hum + -le.