ABASE

humiliate, mortify, chagrin, humble, abase

(verb) cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of; “He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Verb

abase (third-person singular simple present abases, present participle abasing, simple past and past participle abased)

(transitive) To lower, as in condition in life, office, rank, etc, so as to cause pain or hurt feelings; to degrade, to depress, to humble, to humiliate. [from c. 1350–1470]

(transitive, archaic) To lower physically; to depress; to cast or throw down; to stoop. [from c. 1350–1470]

(transitive, obsolete) To lower in value, in particular by altering the content of alloys in coins; to debase. [from mid 16th – mid 18th c.]

Synonyms

• (to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings): degrade, demean, depress, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, sink

• (to lower physically): bring down, lower, reduce

• (to lower in value): downgrade

Antonyms

• (to lower so as to cause pain or hurt feelings): aggrandise, dignify, elevate, exalt, extol, honor, promote, raise, uplift,

Source: Wiktionary

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A*base", v.t. [imp.&p.p. Abased; p.pr. & vb. n. Abasing.] Etym: [F. abaisser, LL. abassare, abbassare ; ad + bassare, fr. bassus low. See Base, a.]

1. To lower or depress; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye. [Archaic] Bacon. Saying so, he abased his lance. Shelton.

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. Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased. Luke xiv. ll.

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 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."

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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