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

Kicked out, Eleven and Kali head to the abyss instead, joining the others to fight Vecna there. —Yohana Desta, Rolling Stone, 4 Jan. 2026

Of course, school felt like a temporal abyss for a lot of young people, especially those who were violently singled out for their differences. —Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026

The whole thing is not going exactly to plan for anyone, since the radio tower is being crushed by the abyss instead of slicing through it. —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025

In the pitch-black abyss, photosynthesis is impossible. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2025

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