humiliate

[hyoo-mil-ee-eyt, yoo-] / hyuˈmɪl iˌeɪt, yu- /

VERB

embarrass, put down

Synonyms

STRONGEST

confuse crush degrade demean depress disgrace humble shame snub subdue

STRONG

abase abash base blister break chagrin chasten confound conquer debase denigrate deny discomfit discountenance dishonor downplay lower mortify pan rip slam smear squash vanquish wither

WEAK

bemean bring down bring low cast down cut down to size make a fool of make ashamed play down put out of countenance put to shame run down shoot down take down take down a peg tear down

Antonyms

STRONGEST

build up encourage honor praise promote release respect upgrade

STRONG

agree allow boost cherish compliment elevate fail flatter laud lose surrender yield

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Northampton scored 14 tries to humiliate Bristol at Franklin's Gardens and confirm their place in the Prem semi-finals.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

As Rue muses in a voiceover, she’s beautiful, directionless and “so desperate for attention she’s willing to humiliate herself.”

From Salon • May 4, 2026

The 2019 screen fiasco, which found countless ways to humiliate a cast that included Taylor Swift and Judi Dench, gave kitsch a bad name.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

"By insisting on retraction China is trying to humiliate her and turning up the heat on the controversy," Kingston said.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

Whoever did this had wanted only to unmask me without my permission, to humiliate me by intentionally undermining a decision I’d made to keep some parts of me for just myself.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Vocabulary lists containing humiliate

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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney

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