as in meekly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
humbly accepted the criticism
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humbly
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.
—
Cody J Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
When a coalition of figures assembled at a Georgetown University forum, in February, 2023, the former Crown Prince sat humbly in a row of eight, alongside two actresses, a soccer player, and an Iranian Kurdish separatist.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Preston and Stacy have a 45-year-long romance that began humbly and has flourished as their family and finances have grown.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Successful outreach requires making effort to understand how religious adherents think, acknowledging their concerns, and humbly recognizing that medical knowledge is shaped by more than mere empiricism.
—Cory Anderson, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
The drive The test took place humbly in downtown Los Angeles, mostly – no race tracks or solo three-lane highway sojourns.
—Josh Max, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Theirs started humbly, and a bit unexpectedly.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Chalamet wore a conservative suit and tie and humbly thanked his fellow nominees, a dramatic shift in tone for the actor, who has tended toward the grandiose of late.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
Cody J Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
When a coalition of figures assembled at a Georgetown University forum, in February, 2023, the former Crown Prince sat humbly in a row of eight, alongside two actresses, a soccer player, and an Iranian Kurdish separatist.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Preston and Stacy have a 45-year-long romance that began humbly and has flourished as their family and finances have grown.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Successful outreach requires making effort to understand how religious adherents think, acknowledging their concerns, and humbly recognizing that medical knowledge is shaped by more than mere empiricism.
—Cory Anderson, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
The drive The test took place humbly in downtown Los Angeles, mostly – no race tracks or solo three-lane highway sojourns.
—Josh Max, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Theirs started humbly, and a bit unexpectedly.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Chalamet wore a conservative suit and tie and humbly thanked his fellow nominees, a dramatic shift in tone for the actor, who has tended toward the grandiose of late.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbly
Adverb
-
Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
My question is how to politely tell this man to stop.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Over the course of the afternoon, guests laughed about, grappled with, and sometimes politely skirted around the same gendered tropes that have existed for centuries, the conversation turning serious in some moments and silly in others.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Princess Bride is superbly planned and deferentially orchestrated — its theme fits its telling.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
In 2022, Phillips went modestly viral on social media with a poem, nearly every line of which contained the phrase Let them.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
-
But don’t overlook that California’s construction efforts have modestly mitigated the pain in the wallet.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
To win the division, the Ravens would need to win at Green Bay and Pittsburgh and have the Steelers lose to lowly Cleveland in Week 17.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
-
Three hundred and sixty-five days after the Bears — then a lowly laughing stock en route to a third-straight last-place finish in the NFC North — fired Matt Eberflus as head coach, Johnson’s Bears bested the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles over Thanksgiving weekend.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbly. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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