abject
ab·ject/ˈæbˌd͡ʒɛkt/adjective, noun
abject is spelled A-B-J-E-C-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (ab·ject). It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, abject means “Existing in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in abject?
| Letters | 6: A-B-J-E-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ab·ject |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is abject?
Abject appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce abject?
- UK /ˈæbd͡ʒɛkt/
- US /ˈæbˌd͡ʒɛkt/
As a verb (“To cast off or out (someone or something); to reject…”): /æbˈd͡ʒɛkt/.
Abject has 2 syllables, split ab·ject in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-abject.ogg, En-ca-abject.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-abject2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of abject
- abjecter comparative
- more abject comparative
- abjectest superlative
- most abject superlative
- abjects plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- abjecting participle, present
- abjected participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does abject mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Existing in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable.
- 2
Complete; downright; utter.
abject failure abject nonsense abject terror
- 3
rareLower than nearby areas; low-lying.
- 4
Of a person: cast down in hope or spirit; showing utter helplessness, hopelessness, or resignation; also, grovelling; ingratiating; servile.
- 5
Marginalized as deviant.
noun
- 1
A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; an oppressed person; an outcast; also, such people as a class.
verb
- 1
archaicTo cast off or out (someone or something); to reject, especially as contemptible or inferior.
- 2
archaicTo cast down (someone or something); to abase; to debase; to degrade; to lower; also, to forcibly impose obedience or servitude upon (someone); to subjugate.
- 3
archaicOf a fungus: to (forcibly) give off (spores or sporidia).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Abject in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | abject, fangeux, misérable , abjecte, méprisable , paria |
| German | abjekt, armselig, erniedrigt, bitter, verächtlich , elend |
| Portuguese | abjeto, ignóbil , abatido , escravo, escrava |
| Spanish | abyecto , abatido |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does abject come from?
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English abiect, abject (adjective) [and other forms], from Middle French abject (modern French abject, abjet (obsolete)), and from its etymon Latin abiectus (“abandoned; cast aside”), an adjective use of the perfect passive participle of abiciō (“to discard, throw away”), from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away from’) + iaciō (“to throw”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- (“to throw”)). The noun is derived from the adjective.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).