humiliating
gb/hjumˈɪliˌeɪtɪŋ/ us/hjumˈɪliˌeɪtɪŋ/
B2
English
~ 9400
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
making someone feel very ashamed
Making someone feel very small, foolish, and ashamed, often in front of other people.
Usage pattern:
[something] is humiliating for [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "humiliating" and "humiliated". Use "humiliating" for the thing or situation (e.g., "a humiliating comment"), and "humiliated" for how a person feels (e.g., "I felt humiliated"). Another mistake is using it when they only mean "a little embarrassing"; "humiliating" is usually quite strong.
Synonyms
embarrassing (Softer and more common; does not always suggest such deep shame or loss of dignity.)
|
shameful (Often implies moral wrong or guilt, not just feeling foolish in front of others.)
|
degrading (Stronger and more serious; suggests being treated as less worthy or less human.)
Antonyms
dignified (Describes behavior or situations that protect or increase a person’s sense of dignity.)
|
respectful (Describes treatment that shows care and esteem, the opposite of making someone feel small.)
Collocations
humiliating experience
|humiliating defeat
|deeply humiliating
|publicly humiliating
|utterly humiliating
|humiliating loss
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Forgetting my lines on stage was absolutely humiliating.
- He found it humiliating to ask his parents for money again.
- The video of her falling went viral, and she described the whole incident as deeply humiliating.
- It was humiliating for the manager to be corrected by a trainee in front of the whole team.
- She refused to answer such personal questions, saying they were intrusive and humiliating.
Learner examples
- It was very humiliating when he failed the test again.
- She felt humiliating pain is wrong. She should say, "She felt humiliated," because the situation was humiliating.
- Losing his job in front of his coworkers was humiliating for him.
- The teacher’s joke about his accent was humiliating.
- He said the way they talked to him was humiliating.
unknown
C1
property
2
describing a very shameful defeat
Used for a defeat or loss that is very heavy and makes a person, team, or country lose a lot of pride.
Usage pattern:
a humiliating [defeat/loss/retreat] for [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "humiliating" with small or normal losses where a neutral word like "simple" or "narrow" loss is better. "Humiliating" suggests the defeat is unusually bad and damages pride or reputation.
Synonyms
crushing (Common in sports and politics; focuses on the size and emotional impact of the defeat.)
|
devastating (Emphasizes the serious negative effect; not always about public loss of face.)
Antonyms
glorious (Often used for victories or successes that greatly increase pride and reputation, the opposite of a humiliating defeat.)
Collocations
humiliating defeat
|humiliating loss
|humiliating retreat
|humiliating climbdown
|humiliating reversal
Themes
conflict
|sports
|politics
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The team suffered a humiliating defeat, losing 6–0 at home.
- The election results were a humiliating loss for the ruling party.
- After a humiliating retreat, the army’s leadership was forced to resign.
- It was a humiliating climbdown for the company after weeks of strong public statements.
- The court’s decision marked a humiliating setback for the government.
Learner examples
- Our school team had a humiliating defeat and lost by many points.
- The party’s humiliating loss surprised all the experts.
- The war ended in a humiliating defeat for the country.
- Their humiliating loss made the coach quit.
- The vote was a humiliating setback for the president.
Grammar
Dictionary form
humiliating
IPA
GB/hjumˈɪliˌeɪtɪŋ/
US/hjumˈɪliˌeɪtɪŋ/
Syllables & stress
hu - mi - li - at - ing (5 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (mi)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: humiliating
- Comparative: humiliatinger
- Superlative: humiliatingest
Word family
Forms
humiliatinger
adjective
humiliatingest
adjective
Core family
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.