knocked down a notch
Taken down slightly
Knocked down a notch means humbled or diminished in status, confidence, or ego.
The image is of someone being moved down one position on a ranked scale.
Usually applied to people who seemed arrogant or overconfident: After losing three straight games, the champion was knocked down a notch.
Also phrased as taken down a notch or brought down a peg.
- demotedReduced in rank
- taken down a pegHad arrogance reduced
- chastenedHumbled by correction
- humbleUnassuming about oneself
- embarrassedSelf-consciously uncomfortable
lost face · defeated · dethroned · challenged · sobered · reality check · reprimanded · put in place · modesty · displaced · subordinated · grounded · brought low · overshadowed · downgraded · diminished · rebuked · cut down to size