abase
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to humble or belittle (oneself, etc)
-
to lower or reduce, as in rank or estimation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have abasedperfect
-
has abasedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have been abasingperfect progressive
-
has been abasingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are abasingprogressive
-
abasingparticiple
-
abasessingular 3rd person
-
is abasingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am abasingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
-
had abasedperfect
-
had been abasingperfect progressive
-
was abasingprogressive singular
-
abasedsimple
-
were abasingprogressive plural
-
abasedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of abase
First recorded in 1470–80; a- 5 + base 2; replacing late Middle English abassen, equivalent to a- 5 + bas base 2; replacing Middle English abaissen, abe(i)sen, from Anglo-French abesser, abaisser, Old French abaissier, equivalent to a- a- 5 + -baissier, from (unattested) Vulgar Latin bassiare, verbal derivative of Late Latin bassus; base 2
Explanation
To abase something or someone is to humiliate them — no, more than just humiliate them. If you abase another person you are bringing them low, humbling them in a mean, base manner. Not nice at all. Abase means to bring someone down, often either in their job or their self-esteem. The early Latin bassus, which meant "thick, low," evolved into the Old French abaissier, meaning "to make lower in value or status." The important clue to the word is "base." Consider that the base of anything is the bottom, and you get an idea as to the meaning of the word abase, which means to make someone feel low.
Vocabulary lists containing abase
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Song of Myself
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ms. Begum, now 23, left her home in East London in February 2015 and traveled to Syria with two friends, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, when they were all 15 or 16.
From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2023
Ms Begum was 15 when she and two other east London schoolgirls - Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase - travelled to Syria to join the IS group in 2015.
From BBC • Aug. 31, 2022
The school made headlines in 2015 when three pupils, Kadiza Sultana, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum, aged 15 and 16 at the time, left the UK during February half term for Syria.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2017
The mother of one of the schoolgirls, 15-year-old Amira Abase, this week accused both the police and the school of not doing enough to help find her daughter.
From Newsweek • Mar. 24, 2015
Abase literally means to cast down, to humble.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
