What does abject mean?

Definitions for abject
ˈæb dʒɛkt, æbˈdʒɛktab·ject

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word abject.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. abject, low, low-down, miserable, scummy, scurvyadjective

    of the most contemptible kind

    "abject cowardice"; "a low stunt to pull"; "a low-down sneak"; "his miserable treatment of his family"; "You miserable skunk!"; "a scummy rabble"; "a scurvy trick"

  2. abjectadjective

    most unfortunate or miserable

    "the most abject slaves joined in the revolt"; "abject poverty"

  3. abject, unhopefuladjective

    showing utter resignation or hopelessness

    "abject surrender"

  4. abjectadjective

    showing humiliation or submissiveness

    "an abject apology"

GCIDE

  1. abjectadjective

    Humiliating; degrading; wretched; -- of situations; as, abject poverty.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. ABJECTadjective

    Etymology: abjectus, Lat. thrown away as of no value.

    That rebellion
    Came like itself in base and abject routs,
    Led on by bloody youth goaded with rage,
    And countenanc’d by boys and beggary. William Shakespeare, Hen. IV.

    Honest men, who tell their sovereigns what they expect from them, and what obedience they shall be always ready to pay them, are not upon an equal foot with such base and abject flatterers; and are therefore always in danger of being the last in the royal favour. Joseph Addison, Whig Examiner.

    I was at first, as other beasts that graze
    The troden herb, of abject thoughts and low. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. ix. l. 571.

    The rarer thy example stands,
    By how much from the top of wond’rous glory,
    Strongest of mortal men,
    To lowest pitch of abject fortune thou art fall’n. John Milton, Samson Agonistes.

    We see man and woman in the highest innocence and perfection, and in the most abject state of guilt and infirmity. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 273.

    To what base ends, and by what abject ways,
    Are mortals urg’d thro’ sacred lust of praise? Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism.

    The rapine is so abject and profane,
    They not from trifles, nor from gods refrain. John Dryden, Juvenal, Sat. 8.

  2. Abjectnoun

    A man without hope; a man whose miseries are irretrievable.

    But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not. Psalm xxxv. 15.

  3. To Abjectverb

    To throw away. A word rarely used.

    Etymology: abjicio, Lat.

Wikipedia

  1. abject

    Abjection is a concept in critical theory referring to becoming cast off and separated from norms and rules, especially on the scale of society and morality. The term has been explored in post-structuralism as that which inherently disturbs conventional identity and cultural concepts. Julia Kristeva explored an influential and formative overview of the concept in her 1980 work Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection, where she describes subjective horror (abjection) as the feeling when an individual experiences or is confronted by the sheer experience of what Kristeva calls one's typically repressed "corporeal reality", or an intrusion of the Real in the Symbolic Order.Kristeva's concept of abjection is used commonly to analyze popular cultural narratives of horror, and discriminatory behavior manifesting in misogyny, homophobia and genocide. The concept of abjection builds on the traditional psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, whose studies often narrowed in on the experience of the disintegration of personal distinctions, through neurosis in Freud and psychosis in Lacan.

ChatGPT

  1. abject

    Abject refers to something that is extremely bad, unpleasant, or degrading. It can also describe a situation or condition that is hopeless or miserable. In addition, abject can refer to a person who has lost all dignity or self-respect.

  2. abject

    Abject refers to something that is extremely unpleasant, severe or degrading. Also, it can describe a situation or condition that is hopeless or miserable. Furthermore, in the context of emotions or behavior, it can refer to a state of complete humiliation or despair.

  3. abject

    Abject typically refers to a condition or situation that is extremely bad, unpleasant, miserable, or degrading. It can also refer to a person who is completely without pride or dignity.

  4. abject

    Abject refers to a situation or condition that is extremely bad, unpleasant, and degrading. It can also represent an attitude or behavior that is low without dignity, completely without pride or hope. In literary context, 'abject' is often used to describe the most miserable, hopeless, and humiliating circumstances.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Abjectadjective

    cast down; low-lying

  2. Abjectadjective

    sunk to a law condition; down in spirit or hope; degraded; servile; groveling; despicable; as, abject posture, fortune, thoughts

  3. Abjectadjective

    to cast off or down; hence, to abase; to degrade; to lower; to debase

  4. Abjectnoun

    a person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway

  5. Etymology: [L. abjectus, p. p. of abjicere to throw away; ab + jacere to throw. See Jet a shooting forth.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Abject

    ab-jekt′, v.t. (obs.) to throw or cast down or away. [L. abjicĕre, -jectumab, away, jacĕre, to throw.]

  2. Abject

    ab′jekt, adj. cast away: mean: worthless: cowering: base.—n. an outcast.—ns. Abjec′tion, Ab′jectness, a mean or low state: baseness: degradation.—adv. Ab′jectly. [L. abjectus, cast away—ab, away, jacĕre, to throw.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of abject in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of abject in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of abject in a Sentence

  1. Nathan Runkle:

    The people of California clearly have the right to prohibit the sale of a product that is the result of abject animal abuse.

  2. Christy Smith:

    I’m calling it what it is. Radicalization and violence from extremists is the direct result of people like my opponent @RepMikeGarcia, mr. Pelosi and the family are owed an apology from you Mike. The people of this country deserve better than your abject degenerate politics.

  3. Chris Christie:

    Amtrak's indifference to New Jersey commuters and its abject neglect of the infrastructure that New Jersey and our entire region relies upon.

  4. The Venezuelan leader:

    There are new attacks against Venezuela, despite a year 2015 that has been difficult, with economic warfare because the price of our oil export plummeted by 60 percent, we will be showing record reductions in abject poverty.

  5. Henry Kissinger:

    If peace is equated simply with the absence of war, it can become abject pacifism that turns the world over to the most ruthless.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for abject

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"abject." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/abject>.

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    a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
    A value
    B purse
    C investigating
    D endeavor

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