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

Those are the abysmal odds the Illinois ticket buyer had to overcome to win the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday night. — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026

This is not worth a 5-year contract worth $10 million per season, and those within the athletic department are well-aware of what could happen if UNC puts together back-to-back abysmal seasons. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026

And the gender discourse is abysmal, especially in the villages. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026

These are producing smoke that’s creating abysmal air quality in the Pacific Northwest at large. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 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