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Abase vs Scorn - What's the difference?

abase | scorn |

In transitive terms the difference between abase and scorn

is that abase is to lower, as in rank, office, condition in life, so as to hurt feelings or cause pain; to depress; to humiliate; to humble; to degrade while scorn is to refuse to do something, as beneath oneself.

As verbs the difference between abase and scorn

is that abase is to lower physically or depress; to stoop; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye while scorn is to feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.

As a noun scorn is

contempt or disdain.

abase

English

Verb

(abas)
  • (archaic) To lower physically or depress; to stoop; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye.
  • "Saying so, he abased his lance''." - ''
  • To lower, as in rank, office, condition in life, so as to hurt feelings or cause pain; to depress; to humiliate; to humble; to degrade.
  • "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased'' ." - ''Luke 14:11
  • (obsolete) To lower in value, in particular as altering the content of alloys in coins.
  • Synonyms

    * debase * degrade

    Antonyms

    * promote * exalt * extoll

    Derived terms

    * abasedly * abasement * abaser

    References

    * *

    scorn

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.
  • * C. J. Smith
  • We scorn what is in itself contemptible or disgraceful.
  • To scoff, express contempt.
  • To reject, turn down
  • He scorned her romantic advances.
  • To refuse to do something, as beneath oneself.
  • She scorned to show weakness.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Noun

  • (uncountable) Contempt or disdain.
  • (countable) A display of disdain; a slight.
  • * Dryden
  • Every sullen frown and bitter scorn / But fanned the fuel that too fast did burn.
  • (countable) An object of disdain, contempt, or derision.
  • * Bible, Psalms xliv. 13
  • Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

    Usage notes

    * Scorn'' is often used in the phrases ''pour scorn on'' and ''heap scorn on .

    Quotations

    * circa 1605': The cry is still 'They come': our castle's strength / Will laugh a siege to '''scorn — '' * 1967', Rain of tears, real, mist of imagined '''scorn — John Berryman, ''Berryman's Sonnets . New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * scornful

    Anagrams

    *