abysmal

adjective

abys·​mal ə-ˈbiz-məl 

a-

1

a

: immeasurably low or wretched : extremely poor or bad

abysmal ignorance/poverty

abysmal living conditions

an abysmal performance

b

: having immense or fathomless extension downward, backward, or inward

an abysmal cliff

2

: abyssal sense 2

abysmally

ə-ˈbiz-mə-lē 

a-

adverb

abysmally ignorant

an abysmally poor performance

Synonyms of abysmal

• terrible
• horrible
• poor
• awful
• dismal
• atrocious

Examples of abysmal in a Sentence

They were living in abysmal ignorance.

a desperate cry echoing from the abysmal reaches of the cave

Recent Examples on the Web

The sight of hazy skies will be familiar to those who lived through recent summers when Canadian wildfire smoke poured into the United States, including in 2023 when air quality turned abysmal for millions of Americans. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Of the 156 players in the field, Rory ranked an abysmal 148th in strokes gained putting Thursday. — Justin Ray, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Some individual defenders have played well, but on the whole, the defense has been abysmal, and it can’t be blamed solely on injuries to players like Lindor and Marcus Semien. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 July 2026

Clark, in and out of the lineup because of a back injury all season, never got going and was an abysmal minus-16. — Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

abysm + -al entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for abysmal

• baptismal
• aneurysmal
• paroxysmal
• dismal

Kids Definition

abysmal

adjective

abys·​mal ə-ˈbiz-məl 

1

a

: extremely poor or bad

abysmal living conditions

b

: having an immense extension downward, backward, or inward

2

: abyssal

abysmally

-mə-lē 

adverb