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Prepositions after verbs

Humiliate by, in, at, for or on?

Humiliate is most commonly used with by for the cause or agent, and with in to describe a situation or place. Other prepositions may appear in different sentence roles rather than directly after the verb.

Quick answer

Which prepositions are used with humiliate?

Use humiliate by to name the person, action, or event causing humiliation. Use humiliate in for a situation or setting such as in public. Humiliate at, humiliate for, and humiliate on are not standard verb-preposition patterns, though at or on may introduce separate details in a sentence.

She felt humiliated by the comment.
He was humiliated in front of the class.
The player felt humiliated by the defeat.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
humiliated by + cause/person

Naming what caused the humiliation

By introduces the person, action, or event responsible for the feeling or act of humiliation.

She was humiliated by her manager.
They felt humiliated by the public criticism.
2
humiliated in + place/situation

Showing where or in what situation it happened

In is used for settings, environments, or situations where the humiliation occurred.

He was humiliated in public.
The student felt humiliated in front of her classmates.
3
humiliate someone for + reason

Giving the reason for the humiliating action

For can explain why someone was humiliated, but it usually follows an object rather than directly forming a fixed pattern with humiliate.

They humiliated him for asking a simple question.
She was humiliated for making a small mistake.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
humiliated by
She felt humiliated by the joke.
Standard pattern for the cause or source of humiliation.
humiliated in
He was humiliated in public.
Standard use for the setting or situation.
humiliated at
She was humiliated at the meeting.
At introduces the location or event, not a fixed verb-preposition pattern.
humiliated for
He was humiliated for his accent.
For gives the reason or basis for the humiliation.
humiliated on
She was humiliated on live television.
On introduces a medium or occasion, not a fixed pattern after humiliate.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using at as the main pattern

At usually gives the location or event, not the direct cause.

✕ She was humiliated at his remarks. ✓ She was humiliated by his remarks.

Using on for the cause

On is used for platforms, dates, or occasions, not normally for the source of humiliation.

✕ He felt humiliated on the criticism. ✓ He felt humiliated by the criticism.

Confusing by and in

By names the cause, while in names the setting.

✕ She was humiliated in her boss. ✓ She was humiliated by her boss.

Leaving out the reason after for

For should introduce a reason or action.

✕ He was humiliated for. ✓ He was humiliated for speaking too slowly.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. She felt humiliated ___ the harsh comments.
2. The actor was humiliated ___ public.
3. He was humiliated ___ making a mistake during the presentation.

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Frequently asked questions

Is humiliated by correct?

Yes. Humiliated by is the most common pattern for naming the cause or person responsible.

Can I say humiliated in public?

Yes. In public describes the setting where the humiliation happened.

Is humiliated at wrong?

Not always. At can refer to a place or event, as in humiliated at the ceremony, but it is not the usual fixed pattern after humiliate.

hack-into-by-at-to, in "haggle with" or "haggle for"? "hail from" or "hail as"? hamper by, due, in, for or throughout? "handle by" or "handle in"? hang in, from, over, around or onto? "happen to" or "happen in"? harass by, in, at, for or with? "harm by" or "harm to"? harvest from, in, for, at or by? hasten to, by, from, after or into? hate on, for, by, about or in?

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