1
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
was unwilling to abase himself by pleading guilty to a crime that he did not commit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
I certainly don't abase myself when I do good, honest manual labor
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abase
Turturro was attracted to the novel’s house style: Its manic, sarcastic, abasing observations, largely written in the third person but never far from Sabbath’s perspective, seemed made for the theater.
—
Marc Tracy, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
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
Marc Tracy, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abase
Verb
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In southern Somalia, AFRICOM, also in close coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, has conducted airstrikes to enable partner forces’ ability to degrade al Shabaab.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
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By degrading and recycling the mucus layer, Akkermansia stimulates the gut to produce fresh, healthy mucus — repairing the intestinal barrier and preventing leaky gut.—
Shimite Obialo,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Less than a week after that defeat, Arteta was rapidly thrust into his first ever managerial role at the club Guardiola had just humiliated, taking over at Arsenal and becoming the youngest manager in the league.—
Thomas Schlachter,
CNN Money,
23 May 2026
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Black athletes were welcome at white institutions only once those colleges and universities were humiliated into recruiting them.—
Jemele Hill,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Verb
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Blanche is debasing himself and the law in this shameful pursuit.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
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More than fifty golfers were willing to debase themselves in order to grab some of the Saudis’ cash.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stories that discredit Israel’s enemies, such as about Hamas’s crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, are reported grudgingly, if at all.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
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Orbán’s rule was marked by a sprawling media ecosystem, which for years served as a loyal mouthpiece for his Fidesz party while discrediting, defaming and intimidating his opponents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Just weeks ago, the president was blaming Thune for not doing more to whip the votes needed to advance the SAVE America Act, a voter ID bill that stalled over GOP opposition to weakening the filibuster.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
26 May 2026
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Canadians were once America's largest group of inbound international travelers, but recent data shows a shift as some turn away from the United States based on values and even a weakening Canadian dollar.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The defense pushed back on the state's claim that Kouri had tried to poison Eric weeks earlier with that Valentine's Day sandwich.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
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The chemotherapy doctors are poisoning you.—
Eileen Finan,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
Verb
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But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.—
Alma Hernandez,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
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His ties to Epstein undercut his reputation (with his fans) as a chill truth teller or (with his detractors) as a villain with an uncanny ability to demean his enemies.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And then Grisebach uses that distaff twist once again, to comment more broadly on the patriarchal nature and gendered violence of power structures corrupted by historical conflict.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
22 May 2026
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The Arch of Nero both honored republicanism and warned that it was being corrupted by the war and, inevitably, its aftermath.—
Tyler Green,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abase. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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