From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishabjectab‧ject /ˈæbdʒekt/ adjective 1 → abject poverty/misery/failure etc2 VERYan abject action or expression shows that you feel very ashamed an abject apology —abjectly adverb
Examples from the Corpus
abject• In this situation, abject apologies in some respects remain complicit with the patronizing attitudes from which they attempt to disassociate themselves.• When Margarett fell into abject depression days later, Shaw was prepared.• A central reason cited for the cutback was the abject failure of highly touted sports movies.• The parasite has been nurtured by abject poverty, intermittent political chaos and, some charge, international indifference.• Wealth was much more frequent than abject poverty.• What these hopefuls achieved for their pleasure and pain was a violent lifestyle of abject poverty.• In July 1583 he escaped to St Andrews, and set about destroying his tormentors or pardoning some in return for abject submission.• Ice-cold, shocked, her stomach a tight knot of abject terror, Polly gazed wildly around her.Origin abject (1400-1500) Latin past participle of abicere, from ab- “away” + jacere “to throw” 