Can someone explain to me “humbling” as in “humbling experience”. I read the definition but I still don’t understand the meaning. I also heard “humbling privilege”
"Humbling" is a present participle. As such, it can serve as a noun (gerund), or an adjective, and (much less frequently) an adverb. In all cases, the meaning is the same as the verb from which is derived ("to humble"), with the exception that it is no longer a verb. It is a verb "in disguise" as something else. The is how the present participle works almost always.
As an adjective, "humbling" ascribes "to humble" to whatever noun it modifies. I realize that the meaning of that statement is not clear. The meaning is open to interpretation. But it is important to understand the basic principle: the verb magically changes into an adjective. A "humbling experience" means a "to humble" experience, that is an experience that causes someone to become humble. In other words, one that pokes a hole in their pride, causes them to become more modest, or causes them to lose confidence.
As a noun, its meaning is very close to the infinitive "to humble", which also can act as a noun. Hence, these two sentences are nearly the same:
"To humble us was always his intention" ("to humble" is used as a noun)
"Humbling us was always his intention" ("humbling" is used as a noun)