Abase | A word a day
Abase (verb)
- Present: abase / abases
- Past simple: abased
- Past participle: abased
- Gerund or –ing form: abasing
To abase yourself is to behave in a way that degrades or humiliates you.
- He doesn’t mind abasing himself before his superior officers.
- The exasperated mother asked her son to change his surname, then go and abase himself.
- She was a self-respecting woman. Still she often showed an inclination to abase herself.
- He was not a good boss. He always made his employees abase themselves before him.
Synonyms: humiliate, belittle, demean, lower, humble, degrade, disparage, debase, cheapen, reduce
Idioms with similar meanings: lick someone’s boots, suck up to someone
- He was never popular with his staff because he wanted them to lick his boots. (= He wanted them to act with extreme servility.)
- She wanted to get a raise so she sucked up to her boss.
