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 of abyss

• 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

Habermas wished, in a sense, to vacate the hotel and traverse the abyss outside. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Footage shared online shows two men in white helmets launching her into a 40-meter (130-foot) abyss. —ABC News, 15 June 2026

If there have been peaks and valleys in terms of social freedoms since 1979 (President Mohammad Khatami’s tenure being a higher point), Iranians are currently in an abyss. —Joobin Bekhrad, Time, 10 June 2026

In the surrounding abyss, scientists have found mollusks, snails, worms, sea cucumbers, isopods, starfish and more. —Harry Stevens, New York Times, 3 June 2026

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