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Imperious vs Humble - What's the difference?

imperious | humble |

As adjectives the difference between imperious and humble

is that imperious is domineering, arrogant, or overbearing while humble is near the ground; not high or lofty; not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming; as, a humble cottage.

As a verb humble is

to bring low; to reduce the power, independence, or exaltation of; to lower; to abase; to humiliate.

imperious

English

Adjective

(-)
  • Domineering, arrogant, or overbearing.
  • * 1866 – , translated by C. J. Hogarth
  • ...she glanced about her in an imperious , challenging sort of way, with looks and gestures that clearly were unstudied.
  • Urgent.
  • * 1891
  • Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with that gallant army which had fought the disastrous campaigns ending with the fall of Corinth.
  • (obsolete) Imperial or regal.
  • * 1895
  • She was quick, beautiful, imperious , while he was quiet, slow, and misty.

    Synonyms

    * (domineering) authoritarian, bossy, dictatorial, domineering, overbearing

    humble

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) . See homage, and compare chameleon, humiliate.

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Near the ground; not high or lofty; not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming; as, a humble cottage.
  • Thy humble nest built on the ground. -Cowley.
  • Thinking lowly of oneself; claiming little for oneself; not proud, arrogant, or assuming; modest.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2012 , date=June 28 , author=Jamie Jackson , title=Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal , work=the Guardian citation , page= , passage=Rosol's 65 winners to Nadal's 41 was one of the crucial statistics in the 3hr 18min match that ended in a 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 triumph labelled a "miracle" by Rosol, who was humble enough to offer commiserations to Nadal.}}
    God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble . Jas. iv. 6.
    She should be humble who would please. -Prior.
    Without a humble imitation of the divine Author of our . . . religion we can never hope to be a happy nation. -Washington.
    Synonyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * humble plant * eat humble pie

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To bring low; to reduce the power, independence, or exaltation of; to lower; to abase; to humiliate.
  • Here, take this purse, thou whom the heaven's plagues have humbled to all strokes. -Shak.
    The genius which humbled six marshals of France. -Macaulay.
  • To make humble or lowly in mind; to abase the pride or arrogance of; to reduce the self-sufficiency of; to make meek and submissive; -- often used reflexively.
  • Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you. 1 Pet. Ch 5: v. 6.
    Derived terms
    * humbler (agent noun)
    Synonyms
    * abase, lower, depress, humiliate, mortify, disgrace, degrade

    Etymology 2

    Compare hummel.

    Adjective

    (-)
  • hornless
  • humble cattle