ENGLISH
REFERENCE

humiliating

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //hjuˈmɪɫiˌeɪtɪŋ// UK //hjuːmˈɪlɪˌeɪtɪŋ// hu·mil·i·at·ing

adj. making you feel very ashamed or foolish. It describes a situation where you lose your dignity or respect in front of other people.

adj. causing a painful loss of pride, self-respect, or dignity. Often used predicatively after linking verbs or attributively to describe public failures.


SIMPLE

It was humiliating to lose the game by such a large score.

CONTEXTUAL

The politician suffered a humiliating defeat after the scandal was leaked to the press just days before the election.

COMPLEX

Forcing the scientist to retract his findings in front of his peers was a humiliating experience that effectively ended his career in the department.

Synonyms
Usage

Typically follows linking verbs like 'be', 'feel', or 'find', or precedes nouns like 'defeat', 'experience', or 'failure'.

Pitfall

I felt very humiliatingI felt very humiliatedLearners often confuse the '-ing' adjective (the cause) with the '-ed' adjective (the feeling). Use 'humiliating' for the situation and 'humiliated' for the person's emotion.

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