humiliating
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.making you feel very ashamed, embarrassed, or foolish, especially in public.
adj.causing a painful loss of pride, self-respect, or dignity. Usually describes an event, experience, or defeat.
Simple“It was humiliating to realize I had been wearing my shirt inside out all day.”
In context“The team suffered a humiliating defeat in the finals, losing by a margin that no one had anticipated.”
UsageCommonly modifies nouns like 'defeat', 'experience', 'failure', or 'silence'.
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse the -ing and -ed forms; remind them that a 'humiliating' event makes a person feel 'humiliated'.
PitfallI felt very humiliating when I fell down. I felt very humiliated when I fell down.Use 'humiliating' for the situation and 'humiliated' for your own feelings.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.the act of making someone feel ashamed or less important.
n.the action of shaming or degrading someone; the gerundial use of the verb 'humiliate'.
Simple“The public humiliating of the prisoner was criticized by human rights groups.”
In context“The systematic humiliating of political rivals became a hallmark of the regime's propaganda strategy.”
UsageOften functions as a verbal noun followed by 'of'.
Teacher's tipIn most contexts, the noun 'humiliation' is preferred over the gerund 'humiliating'.
Synonyms
“Belo Horizonte – the scene of Brazil’s humiliating 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany 12 years ago – has been chosen to host a quarter-final.”
“In Rayya’s voice, Gilbert calls herself babe, baby, or “sunshine baby” multiple times, emotes in all-caps, and grants herself permission to write the details of Rayya’s terrible, humiliating final year.”