Abase \A*base"\ ([.a]*b[=a]s"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abased
([.a]*b[=a]st"); p. pr. & vb. n. Abasing.] [F. abaisser,
LL. abassare, abbassare; ad + bassare, fr. bassus low. See
Base, a.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To lower or depress; to throw or cast down; as, to abase
the eye. [Archaic] --Bacon.
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Saying so, he abased his lance. --Shelton.
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2. To cast down or reduce low or lower, as in rank, office,
condition in life, or estimation of worthiness; to
depress; to humble; to degrade.
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Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased. --Luke
xiv. ll.
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Syn: To Abase, Debase, Degrade. These words agree in
the idea of bringing down from a higher to a lower
state. Abase has reference to a bringing down in
condition or feelings; as, to abase the proud, to abase
one's self before God. Debase has reference to the
bringing down of a thing in purity, or making it base.
It is, therefore, always used in a bad sense, as, to
debase the coin of the kingdom, to debase the mind by
vicious indulgence, to debase one's style by coarse or
vulgar expressions. Degrade has reference to a bringing
down from some higher grade or from some standard. Thus,
a priest is degraded from the clerical office. When used
in a moral sense, it denotes a bringing down in
character and just estimation; as, degraded by
intemperance, a degrading employment, etc. "Art is
degraded when it is regarded only as a trade."
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
abase
v : cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of; "He humiliated his
colleague by criticising him in front of the boss" [syn:
humiliate, mortify, chagrin, humble]
WordNet (r) 2.0
34 Moby Thesaurus words for "abase":
abash, bring down, bring low, bump, bust, cast down, cower, cringe,
crush, debase, degrade, demean, demote, deplume, diminish,
disgrade, displume, downgrade, dump, dump on, fawn, grovel, humble,
humiliate, lower, put down, reduce, set down, sink, strip of rank,
take down, toady, trip up, truckle
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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