# Why do people describe themselves as being 'humbled' when they win an award or are otherwise honored? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386 "2023-02-06T14:24:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/1 "2023-02-06T14:24:07Z")
Watching the Grammy highlights on the Today Show this morning, a couple different people who won awards described themselves as being ‘humbled’ in their acceptance speech. I’ve heard this many times before in similar contexts, and it’s always struck me as just a weird and wrong thing to say. I mean, yes, you want to say something gracious; you don’t want to say “I feel very conceited and superior to all of you, now that I’ve won this award”, but you could say “I’m very proud and grateful” or “I’m very honored”. The definition of humbled is “to be lowered in dignity or importance”. I’m often humbled when I go into a FQ or GD thread here and a dozen or more posters have already given a more intelligent, informed, and thoughtful answer than I would be capable of. But nobody is humbled when they are singled out to win an award among a group of their very talented peers. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/2 "2023-02-06T14:32:19Z")
I’d say that at this point it’s simply a cliche, one of the stock phrases trotted out in this circumstance. There are many formalized social interactions that have developed cliche standard words to utter that don’t make much sense as plain English, only as an arbitrary idiom. IMO this is one of those. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/3 "2023-02-06T14:34:24Z")
> [@solost](#): > > The definition of humbled is “to be lowered in dignity or importance”. It can also mean expressing modesty. It’s a virtue in the way all self-effacing behaviors are (or were) considered virtues. But they’re really just empty platitudes and should be given exactly as much thought and consideration as any other empty platitudes. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/4 "2023-02-06T15:10:02Z")
A friend of mine had her house burn down, and as a lifelong resident and stalwart of the community as well as a lovely person, she has been receiving a huge outpouring of support, monetary and otherwise, for at least a month now. She recently wrote on FB how “humbled and moved” by this she was. I felt the same way when the same thing happened last year when my barn burned, so I can say that it is not the “abased, ashamed” definition It is more like standing in awe of, and feeling unworthy of, an event or experience where you receive something you feel is far more than your deserts. I’m sure it’s a cliche for acceptance speeches but it refers to a real feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/5 "2023-02-06T15:18:39Z")
“I’m not only bigger and more talented than you, I’m better at faux self-abasement.” ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/6 "2023-02-06T16:01:40Z")
I think it’s a reflection of your esteem for the body that voted for you. Imagine getting an award from an equal, as compared to an award from a group you esteem very, very highly. If you post a clip of you playing your guitar, and your friends tell you it’s kind of awesome you might feel pumped. If Eric Clapton says he likes it, that’s actually humbling, I should think. I don’t think it’s faux anything, I think it’s meant to reflect the high esteem you hold for those who chose you. When Sally Fields said, ‘You really like me!’ incredulously, that’s being ‘humbled’, to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/7 "2023-02-06T16:39:36Z")
If I (a writer) were to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, I will of course say in my acceptance speech that I am “humbled.” That is not a platitude. For me to win a Pulitzer, that would mean that I am in the same metaphorical room as writers considerably better than I am. If I were to say, “I am nowhere near the writer that X is, but yet you consider me worthy to be on the same list as him, I am humbled,” it would not be a meaningless platitutude, but a true statement. I think that’s what may be going on here. Someone wins a Grammy, they feel that being compared to other (and much-better) greats in their industry is a humbling thing.\ Or it’s just empty platitudes. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/8 "2023-02-06T16:40:32Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Sally Fields [Sally Field](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000398/#:~:text=Sally%20Margaret%20Field%20was%20born,and%20salesman%20Richard%20Dryden%20Field.). Not plural. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/9 "2023-02-06T16:47:51Z")
It is rare, but there are truly modest people who have stuck to their principles and refused the famous award/big prize. E.g., Jean-Paul Sartre or Grigori Perelman. Accepting an award is ipso facto condoning the concomitant circus. > [@SlipperyPete](#): > > I think the idea is that they’ve bestowed an honor on you that you think you don’t deserve, therefore you feel “humbled” because of that non-deserving feeling. There is something called the [Imposter Phenomenon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome) where an individual really feels they are undeserving. However, I doubt most of the people happily accepting awards in a public ceremony suffer from it. ---
**Author:** ![SlipperyPete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@SlipperyPete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlipperyPete)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/10 "2023-02-06T16:48:01Z")
I think the idea is that they’ve bestowed an honor on you that you think you don’t deserve, therefore you feel “humbled” because of that non-deserving feeling. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/11 "2023-02-06T17:58:45Z")
I’ve seen someone do the opposite: _“For this award, I’d like to thank…well, me, because I had to work hard to get to where I am now, and nobody helped me along the way. So, I think I deserve this. Good night.”_ It wasn’t a pretty sight, because he meant it. I do think there’s great comedic potential in doing something like that ironically. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/12 "2023-02-06T19:00:20Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I mean, yes, you want to say something gracious; you don’t want to say “I feel very conceited and superior to all of you, now that I’ve won this award”, but you could say “I’m very proud and grateful” or “I’m very honored”. The definition of humbled is “to be lowered in dignity or importance”. It’s just stock words, and the people saying them don’t really think about what they’re saying. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/13 "2023-02-06T19:18:22Z")
Sartre wasn’t on my list of the truly modest. Or the modest at all, to be honest. Fairly sure he refused the Nobel for quite other reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/14 "2023-02-07T01:28:25Z")
> [@solost](#): > > The definition of humbled is “to be lowered in dignity or importance”. The word “proud” has multiple meanings and connotations, some good, some bad. I think the same is true of “humble.” > [@Ulfreida](#): > > it is not the “abased, ashamed” definition It is more like standing in awe of, and feeling unworthy of, an event or experience where you receive something you feel is far more than your deserts. Yours strikes me as the best explanation. I’ll add that it’s common (maybe even another cliche) for someone receiving an award to thank a bunch of people who made it possible for them to accomplish whatever they’re winning the award for—from their parents, to the people who helped them on their way up, to the people who worked with them on whatever they’re receiving the award for. And I suspect that that feeling of “I couldn’t have done it without…” is at least part of what makes them feel humbled. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/15 "2023-02-07T02:13:43Z")
Won’t anyone quote an actual dictionary? > hum·ble ( Definitions from [Oxford Languages](https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en)) > > /ˈhəmb(ə)l/ > > _adjective_ > > adjective: **humble** ; comparative adjective: **humbler** ; superlative adjective: **humblest** > > 1. having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance. > > “he was humble about his stature as one of rock history’s most influential guitarists” > [humble](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humble) > ; humblest [ˈhəm-b(ə-)ləst](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humble?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=h&file=humble03) > > 1 **:** not proud or [haughty](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haughty) **:** not [arrogant](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrogant) or assertive > [hum·ble](https://www.thefreedictionary.com/humble) > > (hŭm′bəl) > > _adj._ **hum·bler** , **hum·blest** > > **1.** Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/16 "2023-02-07T02:13:50Z")
Clearly they mean “humble” as in “not arrogant or haughty”. In context, it is a platitude or possible form of humblebrag about how one is undeserving since there were so many strong contenders and so one is surprised and shocked to have been even considered at all, never mind being considered the _best_ choice by critics of such obvious taste and ability. _You are the stars! Please give yourself a hand!_ I still consider humility a virtue. I do not consider this to mean a lack of ego, assertiveness, pride, Trumpian blather or even infrequent boastfulness. Sometimes it is not about loss of dignity or a basement of _oneself_, but not allowing others to diminish themselves (as in Carlos Castaneda’s definition of a “humble warrior”). Sometimes it is trying to wear one’s knowledge a little more lightly. But maybe that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/17 "2023-02-07T12:01:43Z")
I’m humbled by the astuteness of the answers I received. There are a lot of great answers here that have convinced me it’s not out of place to use the term ‘humbled’ in the context I mentioned, though as many have said, it’s probably also very often used as an empty platitude. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/18 "2023-02-07T13:15:27Z")
No disrespect to any award-winners who’ve said this, but there is always a risk of sounding like Uriah Heep (so very umble). ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/19 "2023-02-07T13:31:35Z")
I think it should be modernized somewhat: “I am a piece of shit to receive this award” ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386/20 "2023-02-07T13:44:41Z")
He who exalts himself shall be humbled; he who humbles himself shall be exalted – Gospel of Matthew > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The word “proud” has multiple meanings and connotations, some good, some bad. I think the same is true of “humble.” Exactly. > [@](#): > > it’s common (maybe even another cliche) for someone receiving an award to thank a bunch of people who made it possible for them to accomplish whatever they’re winning the award for—from their parents, to the people who helped them on their way up, to the people who worked with them on whatever they’re receiving the award for. And I suspect that that feeling of “I couldn’t have done it without…” is at least part of what makes them feel humbled. Indeed. “I am humbled”, as in, I am celebrating a great achievement, yet, truth is it could not happen entirely on my own AND it was someone else’s decision to give me the award, so I get over myself and accept this recognition graciously. Hell, I’ve done exactly that myself as the recipient of an award. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-describe-themselves-as-being-humbled-when-they-win-an-award-or-are-otherwise-honored/979386.md?page=2)