abject
miserable, degraded, or hopeless
Roots
Other words with the ject root
- conjectural: based on guesswork rather than proof
- conjecture: a guess based on incomplete evidence
- dejected: sad and low-spirited
- eject: to throw out
- interject: to throw a remark into a conversation
- jettison: to throw away or discard
- project: to throw forward; plan or estimate
Ab- gives away or down and ject gives throw. Abject means thrown low, exposed, or degraded.
The village lived in abject poverty after the mine closed.
Abject is stronger than sad. It has humiliation or helplessness in it: thrown down and away from safety, status, or dignity.