1
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
was unwilling to abase himself by pleading guilty to a crime that he did not commit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
I certainly don't abase myself when I do good, honest manual labor
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abase
Turturro was attracted to the novel’s house style: Its manic, sarcastic, abasing observations, largely written in the third person but never far from Sabbath’s perspective, seemed made for the theater.
—
Marc Tracy, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Pence has long since perfected the ability to abase himself in public without seeming the least bit ashamed.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2023
Unfortunately, an impulse to abase oneself isn’t resolved by a recognition that human life is a collaboration.
—Caleb Crain, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2021
One by one, internees abase themselves before 60 of their fellow prisoners, repenting of their errors in thinking and their nonprogressive religious practices.
—James E. Person Jr., National Review, 17 Sep. 2020
Marc Tracy, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Pence has long since perfected the ability to abase himself in public without seeming the least bit ashamed.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2023
Unfortunately, an impulse to abase oneself isn’t resolved by a recognition that human life is a collaboration.
—Caleb Crain, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2021
One by one, internees abase themselves before 60 of their fellow prisoners, repenting of their errors in thinking and their nonprogressive religious practices.
—James E. Person Jr., National Review, 17 Sep. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abase
Verb
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Cold storage facilities have long struggled to automate inventory management due to frost, airflow, condensation, and glare, all of which degrade conventional sensors and scanning systems.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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To degrade what's left of Iran's nuclear program and missile-making capacity?—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At one point at the table, Jane ran a fork down the side of Robert's face, leaving red lines, humiliating him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
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Days after the segment was recorded, Schmitz shot Amedure to death, then confessed to the murder, saying he'd been humiliated on national TV.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Haphazardly propped on the ground with wiring and hardware exposed, the flags appear as symbols debased and emptied after centuries of misuse.—
Rachel Wetzler,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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Since the summer of 2025, antiforeigner sentiment—fueled by false or exaggerated claims about migrant workers committing crimes, foreign residents draining welfare coffers, or international tourists debasing Japanese culture—has taken hold in Japanese politics.—
GRACIA LIU-FARRER,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In some of the depositions, State Farm attorneys attempted to discredit their testimony.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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During closing arguments, prosecutors used the four photographs at the center of the controversy to discredit the testimony of Link’s mother, the order says.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Investors don’t want to inadvertently cheer on weakening job growth that could negatively impact consumer spending and economic growth, hurting stock prices.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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The National Weather Service says the ridge keeping California dry since last month is beginning to weaken.—
Monica Garske,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He was also sanctioned by the European Union in January 2019 following a nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England, which the British government said was carried out by GRU agents to poison a former Russian spy.—
CNN's Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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Children have been among those poisoned this year.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The imagery was largely criticized for echoing long-standing racist tropes that have historically been used to demean Black Americans.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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The shrine is Canton is demeaned and the Class of ‘26 stained.—
Greg Cote
February 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His relationship with his Jewish neighbors, the Brodskys, grows closer as Nazi power corrupts France.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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What follows are some of their stories about the way gambling addictions prey on fandom, the convenience of online sportsbooks, and the masculine culture of competitiveness to corrupt the role of sports in their lives.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abase. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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