What does the word humility mean, and how can it be used in the English language? This article will teach you the meaning of humility and more!
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Kevin
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February 6, 2022
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What Does the Word Humility Mean?
According to Dictionary.com, the word humility is a noun that refers to a disposition or quality of being humble and modest. A person who has humility is a humble person with a lack of false pride and a sense of gratitude for the things they have. People with the virtue of humility have a lack of arrogance and do not display traits associated with self-righteousness.
What Are Translations of the Word Humility?
Numerous world languages have their own words for humility. These translations can be very useful to learn if you are planning travel or if you are trying to learn a new language to communicate with others.
This list of translations of the word humility from Word Sense is a great place to start if you are trying to learn how to say humility in many other languages.
- Japanese: 謙遜 (kenson)
- Galician: humildade (fem.)
- Polish: pokora (fem.)
- Yiddish: שפֿלות
- Swedish: ödmjukhet (common)
- Mandarin: 謙卑, 谦卑 (qiānbēi)
- French: humilité (fem.)
- Catalan: humilitat (fem.)
- Russian: скро́мность (fem.), смире́ние (fem.)
- Hebrew: צְנִיעוּת, ענווה
- Arabic: تَوَاضُع (masc.)
- Icelandic: hógværð (fem.), auðmýkt (fem.)
- Danish: ydmyghed (common)
- Italian: umiltà (fem.)
- Telugu: ఒద్దిక
- Hindi: विनम्रता (vinamrata)
- Finnish: nöyryys
- Korean: 겸손
- Spanish: humildad
- Portuguese: humildade (fem.)
- Maori: māhaki, māhakitanga
- Greek: ταπεινότητα (fem.)
- Serbo-Croatian: poniznost, skromnost, smernost, skrušenost
- Volapük: mük
- Slovene: ponižnost (fem.)
- Romanian: umilință (fem.), umilitate (fem.)
- Irish: uirísle (fem.)
- German: Bescheidenheit (fem.), Demut (fem.)
- Old Provençal: umilitat
- Dutch: nederigheid (fem.)
- Esperanto: humileco
- Ngazidja Comorian: unyenyekevu (c11)
- Czech: pokora (fem.)
- Georgian: თავმდაბლობა, მოკრძალებულობა
What Is the Origin of the Word Humility?
Per Your Dictionary, the word humility has its origins in the Old French humilité and the Late Latin humilitās, Latin humilitas and humilis. This word has been used since the Middle English humilite.
What Are Example Sentences That Contain the Word Humility?
The word humility is often used with a positive connotation in speech and writing. If you are describing someone as having humility, this is usually a good thing. In order to learn the definitions of new words, there are many different tactics you can explore. Some people learn best with flashcards or quizzes, while others may learn by doing. In this case, studying example sentences is a great place to start.
Take a look at the below example sentences for humility and come up with your own:
He had a vain conceit and lack of humility that made him insufferable to be around. He thought his own importance was far above others and had no understanding of other people’s wants.
Her greatest wisdom was in her humility, though her weakness was negative self-talk and low self-esteem. From her point of view, she was nothing special, but to others, she was an honor to know.
While his high military rank brought pride to the family, his lack of humility made him a disgrace. The whole family had a low opinion of his ignorance, and his arrogance overshadowed any of his good qualities.
The scholars and philosophers found they had their best new ideas when they had the most humility. Often, admitting they didn’t know something led to a breakthrough.
Matthew and James tried to be good Christians and show humility to get into heaven. They studied the Bible and other scriptures with grace and intellectual humility, staying free from sin and selfish ambition to show Christ Jesus how they value Him and gain salvation.
What Are Synonyms of the Word Humility?
There are many different ways in the English language that a person could refer to humility. These words are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as a given word or phrase. If you have used the word humility multiple times in a sentence, or if you use it frequently or are looking to spice up your verbiage, synonyms are a great place to start.
Below is a list of numerous synonyms for the word humility from Power Thesaurus that you can use to spice up your writing:
- abasement
- acquiescence
- bashfulness
- chastity
- constraint
- coyness
- demureness
- devotion
- diffidence
- docility
- down-to-earthness
- gentleness
- holiness
- humbled
- humbleness
- lack of pretension
- lack of pride
- lowliness
- meekness
- mildness
- modest
- modesty
- mortification
- nonresistance
- obedience
- patience
- plainness
- pliability
- reserve
- resignation
- restraint
- reticence
- self-abasement
- self-abnegation
- self-effacement
- selflessness
- servility
- sheepishness
- shyness
- subjection
- submission
- submissiveness
- subservience
- timidity
- timorousness
- unassertiveness
- unassumingness
- unimportance
- unobtrusiveness
- unpretentiousness
What Are Antonyms of the Word Humility?
Several words often mean the opposite of the word humility. If you want to discuss someone who has a lack of humility, it is often stronger to find an antonym for the word humility rather than describing them as not humble. This can lead to clearer, more concise writing. Try taking a look at the below list of antonyms for humility from Power Thesaurus.
See how many you already know, and study the definitions of the words you are unfamiliar with:
- airs
- ambition
- arrogance
- assertiveness
- assumption
- assurance
- atrocity
- audacity
- boast
- boastfulness
- boldness
- brashness
- cockiness
- conceit
- condescension
- dignity
- disdain
- egoism
- egotism
- excellence
- forwardness
- haughtiness
- hauteur
- hubris
- immodesty
- impertinence
- impudence
- inconsiderateness
- insolence
- loftiness
- lordliness
- narcissism
- opposition
- overconfidence
- patronage
- pomposity
- pompousness
- posturing
- prestige
- presumption
- presumptuousness
- pretence
- pretense
- pretension
- pretentiousness
- pride
- pridefulness
- sauciness
- self-glorification
- self-importance
- self-satisfaction
- superciliousness
- superiority
- surety
- unkindness
- vaingloriousness
- vainglory
- vanity
Conclusion
Overall, the word humility is a noun that refers to a humble feeling or lack of arrogance. This is a positive characteristic found in many people. Do you know someone who shows humility? How do you practice humility in your daily life?
Sources:
- Humility synonyms – 955 Words and Phrases for Humility | Power Thesaurus
- Humility antonyms – 675 Opposites of Humility | Power Thesaurus
- Humility Meaning | Best 4 Definitions of Humility | Your Dictionary
- humility: meaning, origin, translation | WordSense Dictionary
- Humility Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
