humiliate
C1Formal and informal, often with a serious or emotional tone.
Definition
Meaning
to make someone feel ashamed or foolish by injuring their dignity and self-respect.
To lower someone in the estimation of others or themselves, often through a public or significant act that highlights their inferiority, weakness, or failure.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Implies a power dynamic where one person causes another to lose face. The feeling is one of deep shame and loss of pride.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in meaning or usage.
Connotations
Equally strong negative connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in British English corpus data, but common in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] humiliates [Object].[Subject] humiliates [Object] by [Gerund/-ing clause].[Object] is humiliated (by [Subject]).[Object] feels humiliated.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “to eat humble pie (related concept)”
- “to be shot down in flames (related concept)”
- “to have one's nose rubbed in it (related concept)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Describes the effect of a public failure or demotion, e.g., 'The CEO was humiliated by the board's vote of no confidence.'
Academic
Used in psychology, sociology, and history to discuss power, shame, and social dynamics.
Everyday
Common in descriptions of personal experiences, e.g., 'My dad humiliated me in front of my friends.'
Technical
Not typically used in hard sciences; more common in social sciences and law.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The manager sought to humiliate him by criticising his work in the team meeting.
- She felt utterly humiliated when she tripped during her presentation.
American English
- The coach didn't want to humiliate the player, so he gave the criticism privately.
- Getting fired in front of everyone was a humiliating experience.
adverb
British English
- He was humiliatingly dismissed from his post.
- She failed humiliatingly on her first attempt.
American English
- The team performed humiliatingly badly.
- He was humiliatingly corrected by his own student.
adjective
British English
- It was a humiliating defeat for the home side.
- She gave him a humiliating look of pity.
American English
- He found the whole process humiliating.
- The team suffered a humiliating loss, 42-0.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The teacher told him off and he felt humiliated.
- Losing the game so easily humiliated the team.
- The journalist's intention was to publicly humiliate the politician during the interview.
- She was deeply humiliated by the rumours spread about her.
- The regime used these show trials not merely to punish but to systematically humiliate its opponents.
- His magnanimity in victory served to further humiliate his vanquished rival.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'HUMan I create hate' -> when you HUMILIATE someone, you make them feel less human and can create hate.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIAL STATUS IS HEIGHT / DIGNITY IS AN UPRIGHT POSITION. To humiliate is to 'bring someone low' or 'make them lose face'.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not synonymous with 'обидеть' (to offend/hurt). It's stronger and more specific. Closer to 'унижать'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'He humiliated me with his rude comment.' (Too weak; use 'embarrassed'). Correct: 'He humiliated me by forcing me to apologise on my knees.'
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence best illustrates the meaning of 'humiliate'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while it often is deliberate, one can unintentionally humiliate someone through careless or insensitive actions that cause profound shame.
'Humiliate' is much stronger. Embarrassment is temporary and often mild (e.g., spilling a drink). Humiliation involves a deeper, lasting wound to one's dignity and self-worth.
Yes, this is a common and correct usage, meaning that one's own actions caused the loss of dignity.
The primary noun is 'humiliation'. The noun 'humiliator' for the person who humiliates is grammatically possible but very rare.