self-abasement
noun
self-abase·ment
ˌself-ə-ˈbās-mənt 
plural self-abasements
: a humiliation of oneself : the act of behaving in a way that makes one seem lower or less deserving of respect
… regaled the audience with personal stories and songs that didn't stint on comedic self-deprecation while avoiding self-abasement.—
Stephen Holden
Stephen HoldenExamples of self-abasement in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As the eight episode season broadens its scope from Valerie’s career to the larger, sorry state of Hollywood in 2026, the message becomes clear: in this dire situation, everyone is now Valerie Cherish, with all the self-abasement that entails.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Mar. 2026
Wembley, Old Trafford, the Emirates Stadium; at various points over the past few years, Newcastle have taken a wrecking ball to long decades of self-abasement, but overturning a substantive lead at the Etihad Stadium will require another level of achievement.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
And frequent appearances by a pigeon that perches on her windowsill like a Greek chorus, mocking her self-abasement and growing detachment from reality, seem a tad heavy-handed.
—Book Marks
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
In other people’s lives, Diane’s self-abasement is the cause of emotional nourishment.
—Vivian Gornick, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2025
Iris’s self-abasement, found in Nunez’s ironic vision, is something new for Millennial movies.
—Armond White, National Review, 2 Apr. 2025
Luckily, self-abasement comes easily to Barinholtz.
—Alex Bhattacharji, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2025
When you’re attached to a man—and especially a man like Nick, who is not a monster but is also congenitally incapable of making a sensitive decision—love and self-abasement become closely intertwined.
—Christina Newland, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2024
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Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Mar. 2026
Wembley, Old Trafford, the Emirates Stadium; at various points over the past few years, Newcastle have taken a wrecking ball to long decades of self-abasement, but overturning a substantive lead at the Etihad Stadium will require another level of achievement.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
And frequent appearances by a pigeon that perches on her windowsill like a Greek chorus, mocking her self-abasement and growing detachment from reality, seem a tad heavy-handed.
—Book Marks
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
In other people’s lives, Diane’s self-abasement is the cause of emotional nourishment.
—Vivian Gornick, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2025
Iris’s self-abasement, found in Nunez’s ironic vision, is something new for Millennial movies.
—Armond White, National Review, 2 Apr. 2025
Luckily, self-abasement comes easily to Barinholtz.
—Alex Bhattacharji, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2025
When you’re attached to a man—and especially a man like Nick, who is not a monster but is also congenitally incapable of making a sensitive decision—love and self-abasement become closely intertwined.
—Christina Newland, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Self-abasement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-abasement. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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