abyss

noun

ə-ˈbis 

a-,

 also  ˈa-(ˌ)bis

1

a

: an immeasurably deep gulf or great space

gazed down into the gaping abyss

the ocean's abysses

(figurative) a widening abyss between the rich and the poor

b

: intellectual or moral depths

an abyss of moral depravity

an abyss of despair

2

: the bottomless gulf, pit, or chaos of the old cosmogonies

Synonyms

• ocean
• chasm
• gulf
• expanse
• deep

Examples of abyss in a Sentence

looking down at the dark ocean from the ship's rail, the cruise passenger felt as though he was staring into an abyss

Recent Examples on the Web

Longtime White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf fell into the same trap and his team is still trying to crawl out of the abyss. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 4 July 2025

The continuity of memory did not measure the abyss between a toddler’s body and a woman’s. —Rebecca Solnit may 29, Literary Hub, 29 May 2025

During the previous two seasons, Aaron Rodgers was supposed to provide that change, which was designed to help the Jets come out of their dark abyss since 2010 and contend for a Super Bowl. —Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025

Legislators can schedule a summer session or wait until the fall veto session to deal with the fiscal abyss. —Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin abyssus, borrowed from Greek ábyssos "bottomless, unfathomable, (as noun) bottomless gulf," from a- a- entry 2 + byssós "depth of the sea," probably going back to *byth-yos, derivative of bythós "depth, deepest part, bottom," probably of pre-Greek substratal origin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for abyss

• amiss
• chlamys
• dismiss
• premiss
• remiss
• bis
• bliss
• criss
• dis
• diss
• hiss
• kiss

Kids Definition

abyss

noun

ə-ˈbis 

: a gulf so deep or a space so great that it cannot be measured