abject
Americanadjective
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utterly wretched or hopeless
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miserable; forlorn; dejected
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indicating humiliation; submissive
an abject apology
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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.
The issues they faced were "about as abject as failure can get in our world", he added.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Those who paid hundreds of pounds to travel to Paris and watch an abject Champions League performance devoid of ambition were not so lucky.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
INDIANAPOLIS—When Dusty May took over as Michigan’s basketball coach in 2024, he was stepping into an abject disaster.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
A mere two seasons ago, the Wolverines were such an abject disaster that they lost 24 games and fired their coach.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Trying to picture the actual moment filled me with a mixture of excitement and abject terror.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions 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.
