abase
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to humble or belittle (oneself, etc)
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to lower or reduce, as in rank or estimation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have abasedperfect
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has abasedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been abasingperfect progressive
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has been abasingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are abasingprogressive
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abasingparticiple
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abasessingular 3rd person
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is abasingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am abasingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had abasedperfect
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had been abasingperfect progressive
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was abasingprogressive singular
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abasedsimple
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were abasingprogressive plural
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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
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Song of Myself
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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 ran away from home at the age of 15, with two other east London schoolgirls - Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2022
Mr. Abase did not respond to an interview request.
From New York Times • Aug. 17, 2015
The disappearance of schoolgirls Shamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, from east London in February, raised questions as to who could have done more to prevent their departure.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2015
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, a-bās′, v.t. to cast down: to humble: to degrade.—adjs.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
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.
