abasement

[ uh-beys-muhnt ]

noun

1. the state or condition of having been reduced in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; degradation:

   Her self-respect, even in abasement, has kept her struggling upward.

   We must look closely at what is happening to education in our country and challenge its abasement.

2. the act of reducing, humbling, or degrading someone or something:

   The 1801 agreement led to the abasement of Austria and Prussia and the division of Europe between two great powers, France and Russia.

Word History and Origins

Origin of abasement¹

abase ( def ) + -ment ( def )