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

• abysm
• chasm
• deep
• gulf
• ocean

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

Some spent hours a week chasing down the meager payments, listening to hold music and sending faxes into the abyss. —Seyward Darby, Longreads, 3 Sep. 2024

In those places —those abysses, those black holes—of empathy. —Megan McCluskey, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024

There are many films with women who carry an abyss inside them. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2024

Fortunately, there are far more enduring stories from our nation’s founding and faith traditions that offer us a path out of the abyss. —Dj Rosenthal, Baltimore Sun, 15 July 2024

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

Kids Definition

abyss

noun

ə-ˈbis 

: a gulf so deep or a space so great that it cannot be measured