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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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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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.
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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
The question is whether the ways in which Pence abased himself in Trump’s efforts to hold on to power will make his testimony seem weaker or more credible.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2023
The tension of the novel is between the femme’s self-abasing love for the brilliant masculine creator and the artist in search of her own form.
—Saidiya Hartman, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2023
He’s forced Republican politicians to publicly abase themselves and trash the nation’s premier law-enforcement agencies in an effort to stay in his good graces.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2022
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
By the end of the weekend, the entire NBA was in damage-control mode, profusely and absurdly abasing themselves.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 7 Oct. 2019
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
The question is whether the ways in which Pence abased himself in Trump’s efforts to hold on to power will make his testimony seem weaker or more credible.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2023
The tension of the novel is between the femme’s self-abasing love for the brilliant masculine creator and the artist in search of her own form.
—Saidiya Hartman, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2023
He’s forced Republican politicians to publicly abase themselves and trash the nation’s premier law-enforcement agencies in an effort to stay in his good graces.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2022
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
By the end of the weekend, the entire NBA was in damage-control mode, profusely and absurdly abasing themselves.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 7 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abase
Verb
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In addition, heat from combustion causes some pesticides to degrade into harmful gases such as hydrogen cyanide.Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
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This air bag issue is separate from the largest automotive recall in history, that of 67 million Takata air bag inflators, whose metal canisters degrade with age, heat and humidity, and can, without warning, become bombs.David Shepardson, Detroit Free Press, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Jeff grants this request, and Gabe humiliates himself on national television for fifteen unbearable seconds.Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
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To see the reigning English champions humiliated and humbled in such a manner is a very rare event.Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
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After the second-longest bout of hyperinflation on record anywhere (with 45 months in hyperinflationary conditions between 2017 and 2021), the government is preparing to further debase the bolivar, the nation’s ailing currency.Moisés Naím, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2021
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By that time – perhaps only a decade from now, perhaps longer – the dollar may have been debased so badly that one bitcoin might be priced at $1 trillion or more.Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Yaeger questioned why Mangum had not come forward earlier or sent apologies directly to the three former lacrosse players, long after her allegations were discredited.Ben Brachfeld, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
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This response was a bold, unfiltered counterpunch meant to discredit the lawsuit, take aim at Buzbee, and flip the narrative.Molly McPherson, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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An easy monetary policy typically weakens a country’s currency, making exports cheaper and potentially supports growth in the face of tariffs.Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 23 Dec. 2024
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This rare condition occurs when the ligaments holding the lower ribs in place weaken, allowing the ribs to move out of position and causing pain.Lindsay Curtis, Health, 22 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Dexter’s first kill, initiated by the nurse poisoning Harry when he’s hospitalized after a heart attack, is intercut with Deb’s high school volleyball game.Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
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Moscow’s disastrous war in Afghanistan in the 1980s poisoned its relations with the Muslim world, and even contributed to the collapse of the Soviet state.Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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While some look at this movement as idealizing a time when women had fewer rights and independence, many trad wives do not think their roles are demeaning.Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 13 Nov. 2024
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There will always be those desperate to demean Guardiola’s record, pointing out the enviable playing and financial resources at his disposal at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now City.Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024
Verb
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In that sense, Babygirl is a case study in how power corrupts not only those who have it, but those who crave it.Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024
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But if others surrender, the press will have been corrupted — by Trump himself.S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 18 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near abase
Cite this Entry
“Abase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abase. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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