abase: suggests losing or voluntarily yielding up dignity or prestige: a fine stage actor who ~d himself by turning to television.    lose既可以表示失去，也可以表示减少降低，如减肥，这里表示降低尊严和声誉   又如politicians abasing themselves before wealthy businessmen政客在富豪面前主动降低身份，可见常和oneself联用


demean: suggests unsuitable behavior or association as the cause of loss of status: commercial endorsements ~ the Olympics.       表示贬损贬低，既可以表示贬损他人，如本例商业赞助贬损奥林匹克，又如some groups say that such images demean women一些团体认为这些形象贬低了女性(有损、贬损尊严); 也可以表示贬损自身，如I wasn't going to demean myself by acting like a suspicious wife我不会表现得像个疑神疑鬼的妻子一样自贬身价，如I wouldn't demean myself by asking for charity我决不低三下四地乞求施舍


debase: emphasizes loss of worth or quality: ~ a currency; and especially deterioration of moral standards: drunkenness has  ~d the Mardi Gras.           Mardi Gras马蒂·格拉斯狂欢节，即嘉年华Carnival，嘉年华也称为马蒂·格拉斯狂欢节


degrade: suggests a downward step, sometimes in rank, more often in ethical stature, and typically implies a shameful or corrupt end: the public altercation ~d both candidates.


humble: frequently replaces degrade when the disgrace of a reduction in status is to be emphasized: they were delighted to see the bully ~d by a boy half his size.      disgrace蒙羞失去尊重      


humiliate: implies the severe wounding of one's pride and the causing of deep shame: ~d by his suggestive remarks.


abase降低(身份地位等): 表示降低或放弃尊严声誉，demean贬损贬低: 由于不恰当的行为或联系而降低，debase贬值贬低: 强调降低价值或道德标准，degrade降低: 降低人格或道德高度，humble使卑微: 和degrade相同，强调使人感到卑微，humiliate使羞辱: 严重伤自尊带来耻辱


记忆方法： 1) 6个首字母重新排序成HDHDDA好大好大的啊<==降格对人的影响很大    严重程度上看，humiliate > humble > degrade > debase > demean > abase，最后两个以h开头的词程度最重，中间三个以d开头的词也比较重，第一个abase只是降低或放弃尊严，甚至可以说屈尊，因此程度最轻        

           2) 降格的意思是降低身份尊严mean to lessen in dignity or status.