Meanings
present singular third person abases · participle present abasing · participle past abased · past abased
- transitiveTo lower, as in condition in life, office, rank, etc., so as to cause pain or hurt feelings; to degrade, to depress, to humble, to humiliate.First known use c. 1350–1470
For whoſoeuer exalteth himſelfe ſhalbe abaſed: and hee that humbleth himſelfe, ſhalbe exalted.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 14:112 more examples
Our adverſaries object againe, that by praying that Chriſts merits may be made ours in particular, we greatly abaſe them. As though the Prophet David did abaſe God in making him his in particular, ſaying, the Lord is my rock, my fortreſſe, my God, and my ſtrength, my ſhield, the horne of my ſalvation, and my refuge: […]
1657, John Ball, “By Faith a True Believer may be Certain and Infallibly Assured of the Remission of His Sins and Eternal Salvation”, in A Treatise of Faith: Divided into Two Parts: The First Shewing the Nature, the Second, the Life of Faith. […], 3rd corrected and enlarged edition, London: Printed for Edward Brewster, […], →OCLC, page 106When a large kingdom abases itself to a small principality, it acquires that principality, and when a small state abases itself to a large one, it obtains service (or protection) under the large one. It is for this purpose that the small state submits, and the large kingdom annexes the small states for the purpose of uniting and maintaining the people.
1868 December, T. W., “Lao-Tzu. 老子: A Study in Chinese Philosophy.”, in The Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal, volume I, number 8, Foochow: Printed by Rozario, Marçal & Co., →OCLC, chapter VI (Politics), page 158, column 2Synonyms: degrade, demean, depress, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate · Antonyms: aggrandise, dignify, elevate, exalt, extol, honor, promote, raise
- archaictransitiveTo lower physically; to depress; to cast or throw down; to stoop.First known use c. 1350–1470
to abase the eye
3 more examples
Her gracious words their rancour did appall, / And ſuncke ſo deepe into their boyling breſts, / That downe they lett their cruel weapons fall, / And lowly did abaſe their lofty creſts, / To her faire preſence, and diſcrete beheſts.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 32, page 214[A]ll of you together ſhall pay for the great blaſphemy thou haſt ſpoken againſt ſo immenſe a beautie, as is that of my Miſtreſſe. And ſaying ſo, he abaſed his Launce againſt him that had anſwered with ſuch furie and anger, as if good fortune had not ſo ordayned it, that Rozinante ſhould ſtumble, and fal in the midst of the Carrier, it had gone very ill with the bold Merchant.
1612–1620, [Miguel de Cervantes], “Of that which Befell to Our Knight, after He had Departed from the Inne”, in Thomas Shelton, transl., The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha. […], London: […] William Stansby, for Ed[ward] Blount and W. Barret, →OCLC, part 1, page 30In early January, [then Washington Post Opinion Editor David] Shipley rejected a cartoon by Pulitzer Prize-winning staffer Ann Telnaes, whose proposed sketch showed Bezos alongside other tech and media billionaires abasing themselves before Trump.
2025 February 28, David Folkenflik, “Bezos' changes at 'Washington Post' lead to mass subscription cancellations — again”, in NPRSynonyms: bring down, lower, reduce, abate, belittle, besmall, bring down, embase
- obsoletetransitiveTo lower in value, in particular by altering the content of alloys in coins; to debase.First known use mid 16th – mid 18th c.
2 more examples
Though in the nature thereof, that with which a purer metal is mixed, be not base; yet, it abases the purer metal. […] [T]hough silver be a precious metal, yet it abases gold. Grace, and peace, and faith, are precious parts of our treasure here; yet, if we mingle them, that is, compare them with the joys, and glory of heaven; […] we abase, and over-alloy these joys, and that glory.
1629 February 12, John Donne, “Sermon CXXXVI. A Lent Sermon Preached to the King, at Whitehall, February 12, 1629”, in Henry Alford, editor, The Works of John Donne, D.D., Dean of St. Paul’s, 1621–1631. […] In Six Volumes, volume V, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 450[H]er majesty [Elizabeth I of England] let them all to understand, that she never intended (God's grace assisting her) to leese the fruit of so famous an act, by abasing the coin of the realm, which she found to be for the more part copper, and had now recovered it to be as fine, or rather finer, sterling silver, than ever it was in the realm by the space of two hundred years or more; a matter worth marking and memory.
1840, Rogers Ruding, “Elizabeth”, in Annals of the Coinage of Great Britain and Its Dependencies; from the Earliest Period of Authentic History to the Reign of Victoria, 3rd corrected and enlarged edition, London: Printed for John Hearne, […], by Manning and Mason, […], →OCLC, page 341Synonyms: adulterate, debauch, degrade, devalue, downgrade, adulter, adulterate, adulterize
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo lower, as in condition in life, office, rank, etc., so as to cause pain or hurt feelings; to degrade, to depress, to humble, to humiliate.
verbTo lower physically; to depress; to cast or throw down; to stoop.
verbTo lower in value, in particular by altering the content of alloys in coins; to debase.
More synonyms by meaning
verbcause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷem-“to step”
- Ancient Greekβᾰ́σῐς“foot; base, foundation”
- Medieval Latinbassus“short of stature, low; base”
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd“at, to”
- Latinad“toward, to”
- Old Frenchabaissier
- Middle Frenchabaisser
- Middle Englishabaishen
- Englishabase
From Late Middle English abaishen, abashen, abaisse, abassen, abesse, abessen (“to be upset; to embarrass; to surprise; to confound; to bend down, stoop; to abase, degrade, disgrace”), from Middle French abaisser, from Old French abaissier, abessier (“to prostrate oneself; to lower, reduce”) (also compare Old French esbahir (“to amaze”), Vulgar Latin abbassiāre (“to lower”)), from a- (prefix indicating movement towards something) (from Latin ad (“toward, to”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“at, to”)) + baissier (“to lower”) (from Medieval Latin bassus (“short of stature, low; base”), possibly from Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs, “foot; base, foundation”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (“to step”)). The spelling of the English word has been influenced by base, thus ostensibly analyzable as a- (“towards”) + base. There exist verb cognates in Gallo-Romance languages such as Catalan abaixar (“lower; abase”) and Occitan abaissar, and similar word construction in other romance languages as Spanish abajo (“down, downstairs; below”).
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic ذَلّ
- ذَلّ (ḏall)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Bulgarian унижа́вам, понижа́вам
- унижа́вам (unižávam)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- понижа́вам (ponižávam)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Catalan humiliar
- humiliarto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Chinese Mandarin 羞辱, 貶低 /贬低
- 羞辱 (xiūrǔ)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- 貶低 /贬低 (biǎndī)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- 降低 (jiàngdī)to lower physically
Czech ponížit, pokořit
- ponížitto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- pokořitto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Danish ydmyge
- ydmygeto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Dutch vernederen, kleineren
- vernederento lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- kleinerento lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- neerhalento lower physically
- strijkento lower physically
Finnish alentaa, nöyryyttää
- alentaato lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- nöyryyttääto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- laskeato lower physically
- alentaato lower physically
French baisser, abaisser
- baisserto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- abaisserto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- rabaisserto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- humilierto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
German erniedrigen
- erniedrigento lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Greek εξευτελίζω
- εξευτελίζω (exeftelízo)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Icelandic auðmýkja, niðurlægja
- auðmýkjato lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- niðurlægjato lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Irish uirísligh
- uiríslighto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Italian degradare, umiliare
- degradareto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- umiliareto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- abbassareto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- abbassareto lower physically
Japanese 卑しめる, 貶める
- 卑しめる (iyashimeru)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- 貶める (otoshimeru)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- 格下げする (kakusage suru)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- 卑下する (hige suru)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- 下げる (sageru)to lower physically
Korean 낮추다
- 낮추다 (natchuda)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Māori whakapāpaku, whakapāpaku
- whakapāpakuto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- whakapāpakuto lower physically
Norwegian fornedre, ydmyke
- fornedreto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- ydmyketo lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Portuguese rebaixar, humilhar
- rebaixarto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- humilharto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- abaterto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- abaixarto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Romanian umili, înjosi
- umilito lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- înjosito lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Russian унижа́ть, уни́зить
- унижа́ть (unižátʹ)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- уни́зить (unízitʹ)to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Spanish rebajar, degradar
- rebajarto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- degradarto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- humillarto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Welsh darostwng, iselhau
- darostwngto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
- iselhauto lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with abase
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
abase. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abase
“abase.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abase. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abase,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abase.
Source: abase on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.