Humblenesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being modest, showing low self-importance
2. The condition of demonstrating a lack of arrogance or pride in one's accomplishments or status
3. A plural form that indicates various instances or degrees of being humble in character and behavior

Etymology: "Humblenesses" is simply the plural of "humbleness," which means the condition of showing no arrogance or pride about one's achievements or standing. The plural form is rare, so it usually appears when a writer wants to point to several separate instances of humbleness rather than the quality in general. The base word "humble" came into English from Old French "humble," which descended from Latin "humilis," meaning low or lowly, and that Latin word was built from "humus," the ground. The suffix "-ness" is an ordinary English device for turning an adjective into a noun of state or quality, and "humbleness" was formed from Middle English "humblenesse," itself made from "humble" plus this suffix.

Synonyms: modesties, meeknesses, unpretentiousnesses, submissivenesses, self-effacements

Antonyms: pride, arrogance, haughtiness, conceit, vanity