The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Abject \Ab*ject"\ ([a^]b*j[e^]kt"), v. t. [From Abject, a.]
   To cast off or down; hence, to abase; to degrade; to lower;
   to debase. [Obs.] --Donne.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Abject \Ab"ject\ ([a^]b"j[e^]kt), n.
   A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a
   castaway. [Obs.]
   [1913 Webster]

         Shall these abjects, these victims, these outcasts,
         know any thing of pleasure?              --I. Taylor.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

abject \ab"ject\ ([a^]b"j[e^]kt), a. [L. abjectus, p. p. of
   abjicere to throw away; ab + jacere to throw. See Jet a
   shooting forth.]
   1. Cast down; low-lying. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            From the safe shore their floating carcasses
            And broken chariot wheels; so thick bestrown
            Abject and lost lay these, covering the flood.
                                                  --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Degraded; servile; groveling; despicable; as, abject
      posture, fortune, thoughts. "Base and abject flatterers."
      --Addison. "An abject liar." --Macaulay.
      [1913 Webster]

            And banish hence these abject, lowly dreams. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Sunk to a low condition; down in spirit or hope;
      miserable; -- of persons.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Humiliating; degrading; wretched; -- of situations; as,
      abject poverty.
      [PJC]

   Syn: Mean; groveling; cringing; mean-spirited; slavish;
        ignoble; worthless; vile; beggarly; contemptible;
        degraded.
        [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

abject
    adj 1: of the most contemptible kind; "abject cowardice"; "a low
           stunt to pull"; "a low-down sneak"; "his miserable
           treatment of his family"; "You miserable skunk!"; "a
           scummy rabble"; "a scurvy trick" [syn: abject, low,
           low-down, miserable, scummy, scurvy]
    2: most unfortunate or miserable; "the most abject slaves joined
       in the revolt"; "abject poverty"
    3: showing utter resignation or hopelessness; "abject surrender"
       [syn: abject, unhopeful]
    4: showing humiliation or submissiveness; "an abject apology"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

122 Moby Thesaurus words for "abject":
   abominable, accepting, acquiescent, agreeable, apologetic, arrant,
   assenting, atrocious, backscratching, base, beggarly, bootlicking,
   cheesy, complaisant, compliable, compliant, complying, consenting,
   contemptible, contrite, cowering, crawling, cringing, crouching,
   crummy, debased, degraded, depraved, despicable, dirty, disgusting,
   execrable, fawning, flagrant, flattering, footlicking, foul,
   fulsome, grave, gross, groveling, hangdog, heinous, humble,
   humble-minded, humble-spirited, humbled, humblehearted,
   ingratiating, little, low, low-down, lumpen, mangy, mealymouthed,
   mean, measly, meek, meek-minded, meek-spirited, meekhearted,
   melted, miserable, monstrous, nefarious, nondissenting,
   nonresistant, nonresisting, nonresistive, obedient, obeisant,
   obnoxious, obsequious, odious, on bended knee, paltry, parasitic,
   passive, penitent, penitential, penitentiary, petty, poky, poor,
   poor in spirit, prostrate, rank, repentant, reptilian, resigned,
   scabby, scrubby, scruffy, scummy, scurvy, servile, shabby,
   sheepish, shoddy, small, sniveling, softened, sponging, squalid,
   submissive, subservient, supine, sycophantic, timeserving,
   toadeating, toadying, toadyish, touched, truckling, unassertive,
   uncomplaining, underfoot, unmentionable, unresistant, unresisting,
   vile, wretched