What does abase mean?
To abase is to lower someone in dignity, rank, or self-respect — to make them feel degraded or humiliated. The word is most often used transitively, as when a ruler abases his subjects or a bully abases a classmate, but it also appears reflexively: to abase oneself is to humble or demean oneself, sometimes voluntarily, as in acts of penance or deference. Formal and somewhat literary in register, "abase" carries a heavy negative charge when directed at others, implying cruelty or contempt, though reflexive uses in religious or moral writing can be positive, expressing proper humility. It derives from Old French "abaissier," ultimately from Late Latin "ad bassiare," meaning to bring low — the same root that gives us "debase" and "abject." Related forms include the noun "abasement" and the participles "abased" and "abasing." Writers choose "abase" over plainer words like "humiliate" when they want to emphasize a dramatic fall from dignity or station.
verbTo abase someone is to behave in a way that makes them feel degraded, humiliated, or lowered in dignity or rank. In reflexive use, to abase oneself is to humble or lower oneself, often excessively.
- To cause someone to feel degraded, humiliated, or lowered in dignity or status.
- (Reflexive) To lower or humble oneself, often servilely or excessively.
"The tyrant delighted in abasing his rivals before the assembled court."
"The courtiers were forced to abase themselves before the emperor, bowing until their foreheads touched the marble floor."
"He refused to abase his opponent with personal attacks, choosing instead to debate the issues on their merits."
Abase and debase are siblings — both come from the same Latin root meaning 'low' — but only one of them can be done to a person's dignity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abase
"Abase" entered English in the late Middle Ages via Old French "abaissier," meaning to lower or bring down, which itself derives from Vulgar Latin "ad bassiare" — literally "to bring to a low position," built on Latin "bassus" (low, short). It shares this root with "debase," "abject," and "abjection," all of which preserve the core idea of lowness. The word has carried its sense of moral or social lowering since its earliest recorded English use in the fourteenth century.
Related word forms
How abase is actually used
"Abase" is formal and literary, appearing more often in written than spoken English. It carries a strongly negative connotation when applied to others (implying cruelty or contempt) but can be neutral or even pious in reflexive religious contexts, where abasing oneself expresses humility before God. It is typically used transitively or reflexively; it does not take an indirect object.
Easily confused with abase
"Debase" means to lower the quality or value of something (often money, language, or morals), while "abase" means to humiliate or degrade a person.
"Abash" means to make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed, a milder effect than "abase," which implies deep humiliation or loss of dignity.