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

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

Chris is only one of his many admirers, and so her devotion takes on an air of ritual abasement before a Great Man.

From The New Yorker • May 15, 2017

It’s unpleasant to be confronted with the abasement of these men in the form of a photograph.

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2017

Public atonement requires public abasement and for public abasement, you need television.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2016

Clyde’s fiendish mind has not stopped at so simple an abasement, however.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole