Main Entry:

abys·mal

Pronunciation:

\ə-ˈbiz-məl, a-\

Function:

adjective

Date:

circa 1656

1 a: having immense or fathomless extension downward, backward, or inward <an abysmal cliff> b: immeasurably great : profound <abysmal ignorance> c: immeasurably low or wretched <abysmal living conditions of the poor>2: abyssal 2

— abys·mal·ly \-mə-lē\ adverb