self-abasement

noun

self-abase·​ment ˌself-ə-ˈbās-mənt How to pronounce self-abasement (audio)
plural self-abasements
: a humiliation of oneself : the act of behaving in a way that makes one seem lower or less deserving of respect
… regaled the audience with personal stories and songs that didn't stint on comedic self-deprecation while avoiding self-abasement.Stephen Holden

Examples of self-abasement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sad fact is: Rock’s stand-up comedy shtick relies on black self-abasement (letting his white audience hear how blacks secretly deprecate themselves). Armond White, National Review, 23 Oct. 2024 When you’re attached to a man—and especially a man like Nick, who is not a monster but is also congenitally incapable of making a sensitive decision—love and self-abasement become closely intertwined. Christina Newland, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-abasement was in 1641

Dictionary Entries Near self-abasement

Cite this Entry

“Self-abasement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-abasement. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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