humiliate

verb

hyü-ˈmi-lē-ˌāt How to pronounce humiliate (audio)
Definition of humiliatenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of humiliate On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 My husband was humiliated, he was degraded, and not able to defend himself. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026 Our minds generate sharp retorts or zingers that would eviscerate or humiliate them. — Dr. Joel M. Rothaizer, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Their time in Fiji was marked by endless drama, with Sincere often lying and leaving Melanie feeling humiliated on several occasions. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for humiliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humiliate
  1. discredit
  2. embarrass
  3. demean
  4. degrade
Verb
  • Watching left-wing media try to discredit Caitlin Clark and her dedicated fan base has been a tale as old as her rookie season.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The arrival of Dutch elm disease not only ravaged these green spaces, but discredited the whole goal of aiming for such uniformity.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of discredit
Verb
  • But the Yanks are hot after embarrassing Boston with 9-0 and 9-2 victories in the Wild Card round.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Philadelphia embarrassed itself in a non-competitive loss at Chicago on Monday night, unable to go drive-for-drive with journeyman quarterback Case Keenum, a 38-year-old backup’s backup.
    — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of embarrass
Verb
  • Two years before that he was given a final warning when WhatsApp messages demeaning Strauss, then England captain, were sent to England’s opponents South Africa by Pietersen.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But opposing an immigration policy does not give anyone license to demean people because of their race or ethnicity.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of demean
Verb
  • As a side benefit, because only the tread is in contact with the road, the rest of the tire could be made of non-traditional polymers that don't degrade into tiny particles under force of friction.
    — Ben Coxworth October 07, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Local farms face ever degrading soil conditions, tougher markets and more extreme weather patterns.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrade

Browse Nearby Words

humidity
humiliate
humiliated
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Cite this Entry

“Humiliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humiliate. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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