abject
Americanadjective
-
utterly wretched or hopeless
-
miserable; forlorn; dejected
-
indicating humiliation; submissive
an abject apology
-
contemptible; despicable; servile
an abject liar
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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
Explanation
If it reeks of humiliation or looks like the lowest of lows, then you can safely describe it as abject. The pronunciation of abject is up for debate: you can decide whether to stress the first or the second syllable. But what's more important is understanding how extreme this adjective is. Abject means absolutely miserable, the most unfortunate, with utter humiliation. You might have heard the phrase abject poverty, which is the absolute worst, most hopeless level of poverty you've ever seen.
Vocabulary lists containing abject
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Grade 12, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But neither that season, nor the Cleveland Browns’ 0-16 2016, will go down as an abject disappointment on the level of this Chargers season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
The abject poverty in a rural colonia could be something out of the most dire hollow in Appalachia.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
Haiti for decades has suffered from abject poverty, corruption, political instability and natural disasters like a devastating earthquake in 2010.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
England were 15 minutes from one of the most abject humiliations in their World Cup history until Harry Kane's late heroics helped them overcome DR Congo to face Mexico in the last 16.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
All three had written long, abject articles in the Times, analyzing the reasons for their defection and promising to make amends.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
