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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Infrastructure in Venezuela is severely degraded, and any meaningful revival would likely require more than $100 billion in investment over a decade.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Because the state has a progressive tax system that collects larger portions of its revenue from the wealthy, Newsom argued the flight of just small numbers of billionaires could significantly degrade the state’s budget pictures in the long run.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Days after the segment was recorded, Schmitz shot Amedure to death, then confessed to the murder, saying he'd been humiliated on national TV.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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During the flight, she’s thoroughly humiliated when someone finds her audition tape for Survivor and displays it on his laptop for all to enjoy.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since the summer of 2025, antiforeigner sentiment—fueled by false or exaggerated claims about migrant workers committing crimes, foreign residents draining welfare coffers, or international tourists debasing Japanese culture—has taken hold in Japanese politics.—
GRACIA LIU-FARRER,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Nov. 2025
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But the story of Hilma af Klint lacks the blunt clarity of balance sheets, and her afterlife suggests that money, far from debasing art, is what pins it to the world.—
Alice Gregory,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Supporters of Pahlavi were particularly vocal in Mashhad this month, as attested by the prevalence of pro-monarchy graffiti on city walls, and the regime’s propaganda devoted particular attention to discrediting the former crown prince.—
Davood Moradian,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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Mayers said one lawful action should not be used to discredit another lawful action.—
Steve Karnowski,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In overwhelmingly Democratic districts, the outcome is almost always predetermined, further depressing turnout and weakening accountability.—
Grace Rauh,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Healthy Rivers and Landscapes’ flexibility represents potentially weakened enforceable safeguards for environmental and tribal groups, as the program relies on voluntary commitments instead of mandatory flow standards.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To an extent Amorim was handed a chalice which has felt forever poisoned.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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Each bloom produces exponentially growing waves of cyanotoxins that can poison and even kill nearby aquatic organisms.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The shrine is Canton is demeaned and the Class of ‘26 stained.—
Greg Cote
February 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
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Not that Purdy would ever demean a teammate in public.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Tracy Anderson believes most people today have had their attention spans hijacked by social media and their perception of beauty corrupted by trends.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abase. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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