abject

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Brought low in condition or status. See Synonyms at mean².
2. adj. Being of the most contemptible kind: abject cowardice.
3. adj. Being of the most miserable kind; wretched: abject poverty.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Cast aside; cast away; abjected.
2. Low in condition or in estimation; utterly humiliating or disheartening; so low as to be hopeless: as, abject poverty, disgrace, or servitude.
3. Low in kind or character; mean; despicable; servile; groveling.
4. Synonyms Abject, Low, Mean, Groveling, debased, despicable, degraded, degenerate, wretched, menial, worthless, beggarly. (See list under low.) Abject, low, and mean may have essentially the same meaning, but low is more often used with respect to nature, condition, or rank; mean, to character or conduct; abject, to spirit. Groveling has the vividness of figurative use; it represents natural disposition toward what is low and base. Low is generally stronger than mean, conformably to the original senses of the two words.
5. n. A person who is abjectly base, servile, or dependent; a caitiff or menial.
6. To throw away; cast off or out.
7. To make abject; humiliate; degrade.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. obsolete Cast down; low-lying.
2. adj. Degraded; servile; groveling; despicable.
3. adj. Sunk to a low condition; down in spirit or hope; miserable; -- of persons.
4. adj. Humiliating; degrading; wretched; -- of situations.
5. v. obsolete To cast off or down; hence, to abase; to degrade; to lower; to debase.
6. n. obsolete A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. showing humiliation or submissiveness
2. adj. most unfortunate or miserable
3. adj. of the most contemptible kind
4. adj. showing utter resignation or hopelessness