humiliate

To humiliate someone means to make them feel very small or embarrassed in front of others. It's like being publicly shamed.

Humiliate can have different tones depending on how it's used. Sometimes when we say someone was humiliated, we mean they were truly embarrassed and made to look foolish. But other times, the word might be used more lightly, implying that someone got their comeuppance for doing something wrong. For example, if a politician is caught in a scandal, they might be humiliated by the public reaction. In this case, "humiliate" doesn't necessarily mean feeling bad about themselves, but rather facing consequences for their actions.