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

• deep
• profound

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

While the Yankees' pitching staff was excellent, the Red Sox defense was abysmal. —Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

And that was the reason for trying to go down this road of voting out either Jake or eventually Sophi when Sophi was abysmal in that challenge. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025

Now, both of these offenses are abysmal, but this is too low for me. —Austin Mock, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

He’s been held under 200 yards twice this season, including throwing for an abysmal 82 yards in the loss to Mississippi State. —Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2025

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