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 United States is an outlier among high-income nations in its rate of maternal deaths, and numbers for Black women are particularly abysmal. —Bracey Harris, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026

Two years ago, the Bruins were headed for what looked like a truly abysmal season. —Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026

Carolina reached the playoffs because its defense improved from abysmal in 2024 to near league average, and because the NFC South was so weak. —Mike Sando, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026

Following their 35-8 season finale loss to the Bills, Glenn took ownership of the Jets’ abysmal season. —Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 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