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

Bass placed first in the primary with 34% of the vote — an abysmal number for a Democratic incumbent in a deep blue city. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

The blue line was dismal in the club's opening-round playoff defeat, allowing an abysmal eight power-play goals on 15 attempts and 26 goals over six games. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

The Dolphins’ backup quarterback play was abysmal on Friday, but Jeff Hafley said Quinn Ewers wasn’t to blame on two plays that could have produced big gains. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026

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

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