humiliate

What it means

1. transitiveTo cause to be ashamed; to injure the dignity and self-respect of.

   He would never intentionally humiliate anyone, even in jest.

   2 more examples

   The bully tried to humiliate the other students during lunch.

   The harsh comments from the coach humiliated the player in front of the team.

   Synonyms: debase, demean, disgrace, mortify, shame, abase, abash, bring low

2. transitiveTo make humble; to lower in condition or status.

   Synonyms: debase, demote, humble, abase, bring down to size, cut down to size, debase, defame · Antonyms: dignify, honor, advance, aggrandize, dignify, elevate, ennoble, exalt

3. transitivegamesTo defeat overwhelmingly.

In a sentence

The bully tried to humiliate the other students during lunch.

Where it comes from

1. Latinhumilis“lowly, humble”
2. Late Latinhumiliātus
3. Englishhumiliate

Borrowed from Late Latin humiliātus, perfect passive participle of humiliō (“to abase, humble”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin humilis (“lowly, humble”), from humus (“ground; earth, soil”); see humble.