IMHO

IMHO is an acronym with its roots in a commonly used phrase. An acronym is an abbreviation that is formed by taking the initial letters of the words in a phrase and creating a new word that is pronounceable. We will examine the definition of the term IMHO, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

IMHO stands for in my humble opinion. Though some mistakenly believe IMHO may stand for in my honest opinion, we know that the correct phrase is in my humble opinion because the phrase existed before the coining of the acronym. Dating at least to the turn of the nineteenth century, the phrase in my humble opinion may be found in the records of speeches and debate in the British Parliament during the early nineteenth century. The acronym IMHO was coined in the 1980s on electronic bulletin boards, in the early years of home computer use. IMHO is correctly rendered with uppercase letters, though it is sometimes seen spelled with lowercase letters following the protocol that uppercase letters indicate shouting in electronic communication. As with most acronyms that are inspired by the internet,  IMHO is mostly used in emails, blogs and informal writing.

Examples

Now, capitalizing IMHO no longer indicates shouting (although who capitalizes anything anymore amirite?), but humble is the clear first meaning. (The Atlantic)

Now they’ve turned those diverse interests into the foundation for a new podcast, “IMHO.” (Short for “in my humble opinion.”) (The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

But the ravioli tastes nearly as good, IMHO, mostly because of the sauce. (Chicago Magazine)

“Although we made a fantastic pilot (IMHO) the network has decided not to move forward” (Radio Times Magazine)