humble
- Not thinking you are better or more important than other people; having a modest opinion of yourself.
- Simple and not expensive or impressive, as in a humble home.
In a sentence
- Despite winning the championship, she stayed humble and thanked every one of her teammates.
- The family lived in a humble cottage at the edge of the forest.
Usage note. Be careful not to confuse 'humble' with 'humiliate'—being humble is a personal virtue, while to humiliate someone means to make them feel ashamed, which is unkind.
Where it comes from
English humble · entered English 13th c.
From Old French 'humble' and directly from Latin 'humilis,' meaning 'low, lowly, or on the ground,' derived from 'humus,' meaning 'earth' or 'ground.' It entered Middle English in the 13th century, carrying the sense of being low in status or spirit before gaining the positive sense of modesty.