abasement

American  

[uh-beys-muhnt] / əˈbeɪs mənt /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of abasement

abase ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Explanation

Abasement means humiliation or disgrace. Losing an important football game because of several stupid mistakes might result in abasement for the whole team. The noun abasement is good for describing the feeling of shame or disgrace that overcomes people who do something embarrassing or dishonorable. A political scandal or huge election loss can result in abasement for an entire party, and tripping and falling in the middle school cafeteria can cause a thirteen year-old's abasement. Abasement and its related verb, abase, come from an Old French root, abaissier, "diminish, or make lower in value or status."

Example Sentences

Or by observing the climate of denunciation and abasement in various cultural spaces, from academic journals to law schools to the publishing industry.

From New York Times • Aug. 7, 2021

This sense of national abasement, however, is often paired with a kind of “We’ll show them!” boosterism.

From The New Yorker • May 21, 2019

Yet in some ways, the public abasement of Pence is good for all sides — including for Pence.

From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2019

One can only assume he meant this in the spirit of reconciliation, the ultimate abasement to show that Eagles fans have well and truly atoned.

From Slate • Feb. 5, 2018

They even join in the “Wal-Mart cheer” when required to do so at meetings, I’m told by the evening fitting room lady, though I am fortunate enough never to witness this final abasement.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich