abjection

noun

ab·​jec·​tion ab-ˈjek-shən 

1

: a low or downcast state : degradation

2

: the act of making abject : humbling, rejection

I protest … this vile abjection of youth to age

—G. B. Shaw

Synonyms

• degradation
• dissoluteness
• corruptness
• corruption

Examples of abjection in a Sentence

sees the corporate scandal as yet another sign of the general abjection of our society

Recent Examples on the Web

In this era, in our own context of a panicked abjection of trans bodies, the dominant narratives for trans people, and trans women in particular, are so often devoid of desire in a typical sense. —Dylin Hardcastle june 16, Literary Hub, 16 June 2025

This is doubly true of the ending, which brings to the fore undeniable symmetry, but also a consideration that kept gnawing at me throughout the film: why is cinema so keen on exploring female sexuality primarily through abjection? —Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025

But what obsessed me were the lyrics, which describe tragi-comically bleak scenes of contemporary abjection using language that felt borderline Shakespearean, tied up in elaborate rhyme schemes and tight lexical knots. —Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2025

Today, however, sensuality and leisure have eclipsed images of abjection and vulnerability. —Zoë Lescaze, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abjectioun "humbleness, abject state, outcasts," borrowed from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French abjeccioun "rejection, outcasts," borrowed from Late Latin abjectiōn-, abjectiō "casting away, rejection, humbled condition, humbleness," going back to Latin, "dejection," from abicere "to throw down" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at abject

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for abjection

• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• collection
• complexion
• confection
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction
• defection