abases

Verb

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

1. (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.
   • For whoſoeuer exalteth himſelfe ſhalbe abaſed: and hee that humbleth himſelfe, ſhalbe exalted.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 14:11

   Synonyms:

   degrade, demean, depress, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, sink, bring down to size

   Antonyms:

   aggrandise, dignify, elevate, exalt, extol, honor, promote, raise, uplift, advance

2. (archaic, transitive) To lower physically; to depress; to cast or throw down; to stoop.
   • to abase the eye

   Synonyms:

   bring down, lower, reduce, abate, belittle, besmall, embase, cut, decrease, decrement

3. (obsolete, transitive) To lower in value, in particular by altering the content of alloys in coins; to debase.
   • Though in the nature thereof, that with which a purer metal is mixed, be not base; yet, it abases the purer metal. […] [T]hough silver be a precious metal, yet it abases gold. Grace, and peace, and faith, are precious parts of our treasure here; yet, if we mingle them, that is, compare them with...1629 February 12, John Donne, “Sermon CXXXVI. A Lent Sermon Preached to the King, at Whitehall, February 12, 1629”, in Henry Alford, editor, The Works of John Donne, D.D., Dean of St. Paul’s...

   Synonyms:

   adulterate, debauch, degrade, devalue, downgrade, adulter, adulterize, alloy, balderdash, corrupt