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.

I have very mixed feelings about it, because I’m extremely grateful that I’ve made a living and haven’t had to humiliate myself too much in order to do it.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

"From today on, no-one in this life is going to humiliate you any more," Thiago told her on the way home.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

"It is one bad thing to humiliate Saudi Arabia. And it is another much worse thing to humiliate Saudi Arabia publicly. And that's exactly what they did," he said.

From Barron's • Dec. 27, 2025

By revealing the scandal as guests enjoy their turkey, Buddy hopes to humiliate his enemy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

“It was great. I showed up at your party, and you didn’t publicly humiliate me. Of course, that’s how I knew it was a dream.”

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Vocabulary lists containing humiliate

The Vocabulary.com Top 1000

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Words for the High School Graduate

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!