Vocabulary in context
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Humility
The quality of having a modest view of one’s abilities and achievements; freedom from arrogance.
noun💡
Imagine This
Imagine a scientist who wins a prestigious award but immediately deflects praise to his team, asking others to take the spotlight while he remains quietly supportive in the background.
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Sounds Like
hyoo-MIL-i-tee
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Looks Like
Looks like 'humble' and shares its root; visually connected to the word humble.
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Remember This
Humility is a widely praised virtue across cultures; it contrasts with pride and self-importance. The word comes from Latin humilitas, meaning lowliness.
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Other Forms
humbleadjective
humblenessnoun
humiliateverb
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Connect With
modesty, meekness, self-awareness, gratitude, unpretentiousness
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Note
Be careful not to confuse humility with humiliation. Humility is about modesty; humiliation is the act of being made to feel ashamed. Use 'humility' for attitude; 'humble' as the related adjective.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- Her humility allowed her to accept feedback without becoming defensive.
- The CEO’s humility impressed employees and strengthened the company culture.
Synonyms
modestymeeknesslowlinessunpretentiousnesshumbleness
Antonyms
pridearroganceconceit
Etymology
From Latin humilitas 'lowness, modesty', from humilis 'ground, low'; via Old French humilité to English humility.
Mnemonic
Mnemonic: HUMILITY = HUMBLE + ITY. Add the suffix -ity to humble to form the noun that means the state of being humble.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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