abase — to make someone feel ashamed, embarrassed, or less confident; to humiliate or degrade
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to make someone feel ashamed, embarrassed, or less confident; to humiliate or degrade
Pronunciation (IPA): /əˈbeɪs/
Example Sentences
- The mean teacher loved to abase students who forgot their homework, making them clean the classroom floor.
- She refused to abase herself by begging for forgiveness from someone who didn't deserve it.
- The reality TV show seemed designed to abase contestants by making them eat bugs and crawl through mud.
abase
VERB[/əˈbeɪs/]
to make someone feel ashamed, embarrassed, or less confident; to humiliate or degrade
The defeated general had to abase himself before the victorious king.
Too ashamed to face this place, he sits abased.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old French 'abaisser' meaning 'to lower or reduce,' derived from Latin 'ad-' (to) combined with 'bassus' (low). The word entered English in the 14th century with the sense of bringing someone down in status or dignity.
Breakdown
a- (to) + base (low, from Latin bassus) = abase (to lower or degrade)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The mean teacher loved to abase students who forgot their homework, making them clean the classroom floor.”
“She refused to abase herself by begging for forgiveness from someone who didn't deserve it.”
“The reality TV show seemed designed to abase contestants by making them eat bugs and crawl through mud.”
“His constant criticism was meant to abase her confidence and make her dependent on his approval.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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