# abased

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/abased
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Senses

### 1. humbled or lowered in status

adjective · CEFR C2 · Formal · Literary

feeling ashamed or having lost your high position or respect.

For teachers: reduced in rank, prestige, or self-esteem; describing a state of profound humiliation.

- He felt abased after his mistakes were pointed out in front of the whole office.
- The once-powerful minister stood abased before the tribunal, his former influence stripped away by the evidence of his corruption.

### 2. past action of humbling

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal · Literary

the past tense of 'abase', meaning to have made someone feel lower or less important.

For teachers: the past tense and past participle of the transitive verb 'abase', meaning to lower in rank or prestige.

- The king abased himself before the people to show he was sorry.
- In a surprising display of public penance, the CEO abased himself before the shareholders, admitting full responsibility for the company's financial collapse.

## Examples

- He felt abased after his public failure.
- The once-powerful executive felt abased by the menial tasks he was forced to perform during his community service.
- In many classic tragedies, the protagonist ends the play in an abased state, stripped of their former titles and forced to confront their own moral failings.

## Usage notes

- Typically follows a linking verb like 'feel', 'become', or 'remain'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.