abasement

[ uh-beys-muhnt ]

noun

1. the state or condition of having been reduced in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; degradation:

   Her self-respect, even in abasement, has kept her struggling upward.

   We must look closely at what is happening to education in our country and challenge its abasement.

2. the act of reducing, humbling, or degrading someone or something:

   The 1801 agreement led to the abasement of Austria and Prussia and the division of Europe between two great powers, France and Russia.

Word History and Origins

Origin of abasement¹

abase ( def ) + -ment ( def )

Example Sentences

Or by observing the climate of denunciation and abasement in various cultural spaces, from academic journals to law schools to the publishing industry.

From New York Times

Ingredient abasement is a dangerous business for home cooks; we face enough obstacles to getting dinner on the table.

From Salon

Jafa’s montage interweaves often shocking instances of violence, abuse and abasement with moments of everyday beauty, footage of athletic prowess, spiritual transport and dance.

From Washington Post

Everyone in Palestinian security seems to have at least a story or two of his own abasement.

From New York Times

Someone who really likes herself is not apt to describe herself as a “sea lion,” or to describe a scene of utmost abasement.

From New York Times