Abase vs Abash: What's the Difference?
Abase means to lower in status or dignity, while abash means to make someone feel embarrassed or self-conscious. Abase is about rank; abash is about feelings.
abase
To lower in status, dignity, or character
"The scandal forced her to abase her public reputation."
SAT
GRE
abash
To make someone feel ashamed or embarrassed
"The loud noise is liable to abash anyone visiting the library at night."
GRE
TOEFL
How to remember
Think of 'abase' as lowering someone's position (like a 'base' level), and 'abash' as making someone blush with embarrassment.
Test tip
On the GRE, these words often appear in Sentence Equivalence questions where you need to distinguish between status reduction and emotional embarrassment.