self-abasement

noun

self-abase·​ment ˌself-ə-ˈbās-mənt How to pronounce self-abasement (audio)
plural self-abasements
: a humiliation of oneself : the act of behaving in a way that makes one seem lower or less deserving of respect
… regaled the audience with personal stories and songs that didn't stint on comedic self-deprecation while avoiding self-abasement.Stephen Holden

Examples of self-abasement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And frequent appearances by a pigeon that perches on her windowsill like a Greek chorus, mocking her self-abasement and growing detachment from reality, seem a tad heavy-handed. Book Marks august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 In other people’s lives, Diane’s self-abasement is the cause of emotional nourishment. Vivian Gornick, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2025 Iris’s self-abasement, found in Nunez’s ironic vision, is something new for Millennial movies. Armond White, National Review, 2 Apr. 2025 Luckily, self-abasement comes easily to Barinholtz. Alex Bhattacharji, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2025 When you’re attached to a man—and especially a man like Nick, who is not a monster but is also congenitally incapable of making a sensitive decision—love and self-abasement become closely intertwined. Christina Newland, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-abasement was in 1641

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-abasement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-abasement. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!