; humblest
ˈhəm-b(ə-)ləst
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Humility: Its Use and Meaning
Humility means “the state of being humble.” Both it and humble have their origin in the Latin word humilis, meaning "low."
Humble can be used to describe what is ranked low by others, as in "persons of humble origins." People also use the word of themselves and things associated with themselves; if you describe yourself as "but a humble editor" or refer to your home as your "humble abode," you are saying that neither you nor your home is very impressive.
Like this latter use of humble, the kind of lowness expressed in the word humility is typically one chosen by oneself. Here are some examples of humility in use:
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
— Proverbs 11:2A sudden humility descended upon the King. He felt, as so many men were to feel in similar circumstances in ages to come, as though he were a child looking eagerly for guidance to an all-wise master—a child, moreover, handicapped by water on the brain, feet three sizes too large for him, and hands consisting mainly of thumbs.
— P. G. Wodehouse, The Clicking of Cuthbert, 1922Eating grits and fatback for breakfast and washing up every morning in cold water from a hydrant in the backyard helped one learn humility and humanity.
— Julius Lester, Falling Pieces of Broken Sky, 1990I realize now that she had an awareness of the nature of the order of life, and of the necessity of living with and respecting that order. With this respect comes a necessary humility that we, with our early-21st-century chutzpah, lack at our peril.
— Bill Joy, Wired, April 2000Who has not gazed at the night sky, mouth slightly agape? The experience is so common, its effects so uniform, that a standard vocabulary has evolved to describe it. Invariably we speak of the profound humility we feel before the enormity of the universe. We are as bits of dust in a spectacle whose scope beggars the imagination, whose secrets make a mockery of reason.
— Edwin Dobb, Harper's, February 1995If leadership has a secret sauce, it may well be humility. A humble boss understands that there are things he doesn't know. He listens: not only to the other bigwigs in Davos, but also to the kind of people who don't get invited, such as his customers.
—The Economist, 26 Jan. 2013
For many, the lowness in both humility and humble is something worth cultivating.
Synonyms
Examples of humble in a Sentence
R. W. Apple, Jr., New York Times, 30 Oct. 2002
She would not come closer to me, as much as I thought she wished to, hungering not for anything like love but for plain, humble succor.
—Chang-rae Lee, A Gesture Life, 1999
Women are the organizing soft-centered socialists, the nice people, the sugar-and-spice lot, identifying with the poor and humble; men are snips and snails and puppy-dog tails, and rampant, selfish, greedy capitalists.
—Fay Weldon, Harper's, May 1998
Despite all his achievements, he has remained humble.
He is very humble about his achievements.
She is too humble to let praise go to her head.
Please accept my humble apologies.
Her humble suggestion is that we review the data more carefully.
He comes from a humble background.
She's not ashamed of her humble beginnings.
Verb
Cuba's reliance on tourism is a somewhat humbling turn for the revolution, which has long prided itself on producing topflight doctors and teachers—not concierges.
—Tim Padgett, Time, 22 Dec. 2003
… audiences loved to see villains punished and arrogant young men humbled, they did not want to fidget and squirm through mea culpas before the final scene.
—Elaine Showalter, Civilization, April/May 1999
It frightened and humbled him but also made him feel darkly charmed.
—Don DeLillo, Mao II, 1991
Her success has humbled her critics.
Last year's champion was humbled by an unknown newcomer.
Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024
Along with your keepsakes, bring a humble and curious mindset.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
Here, those assuming power can be quickly humbled, either through robust checks and balances on their power or via the stunning verdicts often handed down in the court of public opinion.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Humble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humble. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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humble
1 of 2 adjective
; humblest
-b(ə-)ləst
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