humilier

to humiliate

verb ew-mee-LYEH Less Common

Origin: Latin 'humiliare' (to make low)

Usage Note

humilier implies a public or deliberate act of lowering someone's dignity. The reflexive s'humilier means to humble or demean oneself. The related noun is humiliation (f), and the adjective humiliant describes something that is humiliating. It is stronger than embarrasser (to embarrass).

Examples

"Il ne voulait pas humilier son adversaire."

Natural Translation

He didn't want to humiliate his opponent.

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