That Michele Bachmann was a cunning congresswoman was not in doubt. However, it was clear to all but her most rabid supporters that a President Bachmann would quickly lead the United States to abject ruin. Her campaign fizzled and she dissolved into obscurity.
What the country did not realize then, what the country knows well now —Bachmann was the harbinger of a much darker timeline in American history.
Adjective
- Sunk to a low condition; down in spirit or hope; degraded; servile; groveling; despicable; as, abject posture, fortune, thoughts.
- Obsolete: Cast down; low-lying.
Noun
- Obsolete: A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway.
Synonyms
beggarly, contemptible, cringing, degraded, groveling, ignoble, mean, mean-spirited, slavish, vile, worthless
Pronunciations
- /ˈæb.d͡ʒɛkt/
- /æbˈd͡ʒɛkt/
- /ˈæb.d͡ʒɛkt/
Origin
From Middle English abiect (“outcast, wretched”), from Latin abiectus, past participle of abiciō (“to throw away, cast off, to reject”), from ab- (“away”) + iaciō (“to throw”).
Notes
Nouns to which “abject” is often applied: poverty, fear, terror, submission, misery, failure, state, condition, apology, humility, servitude, manner, coward.
Verb (Transitive)
Obsolete: To cast off or down; hence, to abase; to degrade; to lower; to debase.
Pronunciations
- /æbˈdʒɛkt/
Origin
From Middle English abjecten, derived from the adjective form.
Cite this Entry
Modern Language Association (MLA Style)
“Abject.” The Effin’ Word, The Effin’ Word, https://effinwords.com/dictionary/abject. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago Style)
The Effin’ Word, s.v. “abject”, accessed April 25, 2024, https://effinwords.com/dictionary/abject.
American Psychological Association (APA Style)
The Effin’ Word. (n.d.). Abject. In The Effin’ Word. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://effinwords.com/dictionary/abject