humble oneself

IPA/hˈʌmbəl wɒnsˈɛlf/
IPA/hˈʌmbəl wʌnsˈɛlf/

humble oneself — idiom

1. to willingly show that you are not too proud by admitting a mistake, apologising

1.慣用語B2
釋義

to willingly show that you are not too proud by admitting a mistake, apologising, or accepting a lower position — often used when someone stops acting arrogantly and accepts blame or criticism in a public or serious situation.

例句

Constanza humbled herself before the sales team and admitted the strategy had been wrong.

humble + reflexive pronoun + before + [group]

William humbled himself at dinner by apologising to his sister for his harsh words.

humble + reflexive pronoun + by + [action]

同義詞
  • eat humble pie

    informal idiom meaning to admit you were wrong and apologise, often after being forced to

  • apologise

    focuses on the act of saying sorry, not necessarily on lowering one's pride

  • back down

    means to withdraw a position, not necessarily with an admission of fault

反義詞

文法句型

humble + reflexive pronoun + before/to + [person/group]

用法筆記

The reflexive pronoun (myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, themselves) must always match the subject. The phrase is often followed by before or to to introduce the person or group receiving the apology.

常見錯誤

❌He humbled in front of everyone.
✅He humbled himself in front of everyone.
💡the reflexive pronoun is required and cannot be omitted.
❌She was humbled by the criticism' (meaning she was humiliated or taught a lesson).
✅She humbled herself by admitting her mistake.
💡the reflexive form means a voluntary act; the passive form 'was humbled' means something happened to her against her will.