baseness
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being dishonorable, cowardly, selfish, or mean-spirited; morally despicable character.
He says that this sort of advertising reflects “the baseness and moral depravity of the present culture.”
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lack of value; relative worthlessness.
Despite the rust spots and the baseness of the metal, these antique iron door knockers are still beautiful.
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the quality of being menial or undignified.
He helped with the farm chores, without balking at the baseness of any task that was asked of him.
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illegitimacy of birth.
The usurper’s enemies decried the baseness of his birth—he was the late king’s bastard son.
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the quality or condition of being unrefined, unsophisticated, or of low social status.
The baseness of their position could not detract from the nobility of their character.
Etymology
Origin of baseness
First recorded in 1530–40; base 2 ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The problem is that most of us have already seen the world’s baseness — if not in person then in newspapers and on prestige cable television.
From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2024
Algeria's ambassador to France said it was an act of "unspeakable baseness".
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2022
He’s watching the baseness of human nature, investigating it, trying to find the truth of it.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 23, 2020
He also played Cromwell in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of “Wolf Hall Parts One & Two,” and captures again the man’s voice, its taint of baseness, its ups and downs and quiet ruthlessness.
From Washington Post • Jul. 6, 2020
His voice is agitated, it sounds almost dignified as he says: “I tell you it is the vilest baseness to use horses in the war.”
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.