ENGLISH
REFERENCE

abases

v.
C2 Proficiency abas·es

v. to behave in a way that makes you or someone else seem less important or less worthy of respect. It is a formal way to describe someone lowering their own status or dignity.

v. to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem; to behave in a self-deprecating or humble manner. Transitive — requires a direct object, which is frequently a reflexive pronoun.


SIMPLE

He abases himself before the king.

CONTEXTUAL

The politician refused to abase himself by apologizing for a policy he still believed was correct.

COMPLEX

In many ancient court rituals, a subject was expected to abase himself physically to demonstrate total submission to the sovereign's absolute authority.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and frequently used reflexively ('abase oneself').

Pitfall

he abases from his positionhe abases himselfAbase is a transitive verb, not an intransitive one; it requires a direct object rather than a prepositional phrase.

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