abase

verb

ə-ˈbās 

abased; abasing

transitive verb

1

formal : to lower in rank, office, prestige, or esteem

abase oneself

… the shame that had abased him within and without …

—James Joyce

2

archaic : to lower physically

As we enter among them the great elephant makes us a bow in the best style of elephantine courtesy, bending lowly down his mountain bulk, with trunk abased and leg thrust out behind.

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

abasement

ə-ˈbās-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of abase

• degrade
• humiliate
• debase
• weaken
• poison
• demean
• corrupt
• subvert
• destroy
• debauch
• deprave
• deteriorate

Examples of abase in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pence has long since perfected the ability to abase himself in public without seeming the least bit ashamed. — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2023

Unfortunately, an impulse to abase oneself isn’t resolved by a recognition that human life is a collaboration. — Caleb Crain, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2021

One by one, internees abase themselves before 60 of their fellow prisoners, repenting of their errors in thinking and their nonprogressive religious practices. — James E. Person Jr., National Review, 17 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

alteration (conformed to base entry 3) of Middle English abessen, abaisen, abaschen, borrowed from Anglo-French abesser, abaisser, from a-, prefix in transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad-) + -besser, going back to Vulgar Latin *bassiāre "to lower," derivative of Late Latin bassus "fat, short, low" — more at ad-, base entry 3

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing abase

• abase oneself

Rhymes for abase

• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase
• crankcase

Kids Definition

abase

verb

ə-ˈbās 

abased; abasing

formal

: to lower in rank or position : humble, degrade

abasement

-mənt 

noun