humbling

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humble

An experience or discovery that makes someone feel more humble can be described as humbling.

When you think about it, being humbled isn't always a negative thing. Sometimes we go through experiences that make us realize how little we know or understand, and that's humbling. This can happen when we meet someone who is truly amazing at their job, or when we face a challenge that forces us to try really hard and learn from our mistakes. We might also find ourselves humbled by the natural world – think about watching a sunrise, for example. It can be a pretty humbling experience, realizing how small we are in comparison to something as vast and beautiful as nature.

How common is "humbling"?

Word humbling is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions

verb

  • To defeat or reduce the power, independence, or pride of

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abasedegradedepressdisgracehumiliate

noun

  • An event which causes humbleness; a set-down.

adjective

  • Of higher rank, status, quality, strength, etc.; inducing a feeling of inferiority.

verb

  • Of an animal: to remove the horns; to poll.

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poll