abject

[ ab-jekt, ab-jekt ]

/ ˈæb dʒɛkt, æbˈdʒɛkt /

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adjective

utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched: abject poverty.

contemptible; despicable; base-spirited: an abject coward.

shamelessly servile; slavish.

Obsolete. cast aside.

Nearby words

Origin of abject

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin abjectus thrown down (past participle of abicere, abjicere), equivalent to ab- ab- + -jec- throw + -tus past participle suffix

SYNONYMS FOR abject

1 debasing, degrading; miserable.

2 base, mean, low, vile.

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ANTONYMS FOR abject

exalted.

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Related forms

ab·ject·ly, adverbab·ject·ness, ab·ject·ed·ness, nounun·ab·ject, adjectiveun·ab·ject·ly, adverb

un·ab·ject·ness, noun

Can be confusedabject object

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for abject

Those facts, Paul said, indicated that Chairman Mao was a tyrannical monster whose people lived “in abject slavery.”
The Secret to Rand Paul’s Foreign Policy: His Father|W. James Antle III|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The girls helped their mothers prepare a simple meal as the men smoked outside and reflected on their abject state.
ISIS Robs Christians Fleeing Its Edict in Mosul: Convert, Leave, or Die|Andrew Slater|July 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But in any narrative, if the protagonist is going to be at the center of a sea of abject joy and triumph, someone has to lose.
LeBron James: The Yoko Ono of The Heatles|Robert Silverman|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Featuring headache-inducing black-and-red graphics, the Virtual Boy was an abject failure.
The Game You Wear on Your Face: Virtual Reality Is Finally Here|Alec Kubas-Meyer|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

No, this brief delay must be a sign that the implementation of the Affordable Care Act is destined to result in abject failure.
The GOP Is Terrified Obamacare Could Be a Success|Jon Favreau|July 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Khalifa told off Lupton Bey, who at that time was living in the most abject poverty, as his assistant.
Ten Years' Captivity in the Mahdi's Camp 1882-1892|F. R. Wingate
Divitis servi maxime servi—Servants to the rich are the most abject.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
Johnny's abject tone—he who had been so high-chested in the past—may have had its effect upon the boss.
Skyrider|B. M. Bower
The mother was an unlovely object in her abject sorrow and despair.
A True Friend|Adeline Sergeant
Then, in the midst of this abject self-pity, I was stricken with shame.
Richard Carvel, Complete|Winston Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for abject

abject

/ (ˈæbdʒɛkt) /

adjective

utterly wretched or hopeless

miserable; forlorn; dejected

indicating humiliation; submissivean abject apology

contemptible; despicable; servilean abject liar

Derived Formsabjection, nounabjectly, adverbabjectness, noun

Word Origin for abject

C14: (in the sense: rejected, cast out): from Latin abjectus thrown or cast away, from abjicere, from ab- away + jacere to throw

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abject

abject

adj.

early 15c., "cast off, rejected," from Latin abiectus, past participle of abicere "to throw away, cast off; degrade, humble, lower," from ab- "away, off" (see ab-) + iacere "to throw" (past participle iactus; see jet (v.)). Figurative sense of "downcast, brought low" first attested 1510s. Related: Abjectly; abjectness.

abject

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of abject

Examples from the Web for abject

British Dictionary definitions for abject

abject

adjective

Word Origin for abject

Word Origin and History for abject

abject