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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While those also degrade over time, there are a few structures, like bone and teeth, that are very robust and protect proteins from the environment.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
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For people with diabetes, heat degrades temperature‑sensitive medications and makes blood sugar harder to control.—
Anthony Nicome,
STAT,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Those who don’t get the job leave diminished, sometimes humiliated, and the institution absorbs the damage quietly for years.—
Paul Hardart,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
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Blue is officially fired for injecting a patient with an unapproved drug, and in a devastating twist, he is humiliated by and forced to give his badge back to Richard in front of Catherine (Debbie Allen).—
Max Gao,
Variety,
8 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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John paid a visit to his former lover and demanded that Percy sign an affidavit and confess to his involvement in the kidnapping, as well as discredit the allegations about John's sexuality.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
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The case later drew attention from the Innocence Project, which said advances in DNA testing ultimately discredited the prosecution’s core forensic evidence.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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As consumer activity has weakened, the central bank has warned about the growing misalignment between real sentiment and headline GDP growth.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
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Heat can shrink fabrics, fade colors and weaken elastic fibers, which shortens the life of garments that would otherwise hold up for years.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Verb
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The latter activity gives them some solid ground to plant their hooves on when George abruptly turns up dead one morning, poisoned by an unknown suspect.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
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One of us even faced an assassination plot in Canada and concluded he was poisoned in Russia for defending Iranian human rights lawyers and Russian dissidents.—
Irwin Cotler,
Time,
8 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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An independent redistricting commission — transparent, balanced and insulated from the very political pressures that have corrupted this process.—
Daryl Campbell,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
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In an era when youth sports can sometimes feel corrupted by money, pressure and adult ego, the Lee Corso Legacy Fund serves as a reminder of what sports are supposed to be about in the first place.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abase. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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