Humbly
What it means
Without claiming undue importance, certainty, or superiority.
Reach for it when expressing modesty while still stating a contribution clearly
She humbly credited the growers whose knowledge shaped the final report.
Words to choose between 6
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm |
|
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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playful
hat in hand
Fits when deliberate deference suits an informal image
Careful The idiom can imply submission or apology, not healthy humility.
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everyday
Fits when achievement is presented without self-inflation
Careful Modestly can also mean to a small degree and may be ambiguous.
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warm
Fits when credit and praise are received with ease and generosity
Careful Graceful manners can conceal a strong sense of superiority.
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professional
Fits when regard for another person's standing shapes the tone
Careful Respect can be shown confidently and does not require humility.
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formal
unassumingly
Fits when a quiet manner avoids drawing attention to status
Careful Unassuming behavior says little about openness to correction.
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literary
without pretension
Fits when the absence of display or inflated status is the point
Careful This phrase concerns style more than honest awareness of limits.
Opposites 3
- arrogantly
- boastfully
- imperiously
Common phrases 3
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humbly accept
I humbly accept the role and the responsibility that comes with it.
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humbly acknowledge
We humbly acknowledge that residents understood the risk before we did.
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ask humbly
The prince learned to ask humbly for the gardener's advice.
Word family 1
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Neskaya, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated