| English Dictionary |
HUMILIATE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does humiliate mean?
• HUMILIATE (verb)
The verb HUMILIATE has 1 sense:
1. cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
Familiarity information: HUMILIATE used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it humiliates Past simple: humiliated
Past participle: humiliated
-ing form: humiliating
Sense 1
Meaning:
Cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
Classified under:
Verbs of feeling
Synonyms:
abase; chagrin; humble; humiliate; mortify
Context example:
He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss
Hypernyms (to "humiliate" is one way to...):
bruise; hurt; injure; offend; spite; wound (hurt the feelings of)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "humiliate"):
crush; smash (humiliate or depress completely)
degrade; demean; disgrace; put down; take down (reduce in worth or character, usually verbally)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Sentence example:
Sam cannot humiliate Sue
Derivation:
humiliation (depriving one of self-esteem)
humiliation (an instance in which you are caused to lose your prestige or self-respect)
humiliation (strong feelings of embarrassment)
humiliation (state of disgrace or loss of self-respect)
Context examples
Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins was a most humiliating picture!
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
It was so humiliating to reflect on the constant deception practised on her father and Elizabeth; to consider the various sources of mortification preparing for them!
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Under these circumstances, alike humiliating to endure, humiliating to contemplate, and humiliating to relate, I have discharged the pecuniary liability contracted at this establishment, by giving a note of hand, made payable fourteen days after date, at my residence, Pentonville, London.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Bad indeed must the nature of Marianne's affliction be, when her mother could talk of fortitude! mortifying and humiliating must be the origin of those regrets, which SHE could wish her not to indulge!
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
How humiliating is this discovery!
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
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