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Synonyms

abject

American  
[ab-jekt, ab-jekt] / ˈæb dʒɛkt, æbˈdʒɛkt /

adjective

  1. utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched.

    abject poverty.
    Synonyms:
    miserable, degrading

  2. contemptible; despicable; base-spirited.

    an abject coward.
    Synonyms:
    vile, low, mean, base

  3. shamelessly servile; slavish.

  4. Obsolete. cast aside.

abject British  
/ ˈæbdʒɛkt /

adjective

  1. utterly wretched or hopeless

  2. miserable; forlorn; dejected

  3. indicating humiliation; submissive

    an abject apology

  4. contemptible; despicable; servile

    an abject liar
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • abjectedness noun
  • abjection noun
  • abjectly adverb
  • abjectness noun
  • unabject adjective
  • unabjectly adverb
  • unabjectness noun

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing abject

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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 decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title is "abject" and "we have to denounce it" a senior figure at African football's governing body has said.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

India say they can peak at the right time and play their "perfect game" in the Super Eights at the T20 World Cup, while playing down the abject form of opening batsman Abhishek Sharma.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Schindler, the former U.N. counterterrorism official, blamed the rapid dissemination of such footage on “an abject failure of the platforms” to police content.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Born James Chambers in 1944, Cliff grew up as the eighth of nine children in abject poverty in the parish of St. James, Jamaica.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025

The rest of the trailer reeked of cat piss and abject poverty.

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.