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

The Dolphins and their fans have been wandering a quarter century in football abyss, in national irrelevance, and wonder how the franchise of the Perfect Season, of Don Shula and Dan Marino, could get this way. — Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026

This is the man who wants to ensure the survival of human civilization while our own planet teeters toward the abyss? — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

That abyss, by the way, has spit out 19 seniors being selected to the Hall in the last seven years. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

More than anything, the problem lies in the execution — as an absolutely catastrophic event effectively ejects Coulter and Fetters’ main character from his own story and into the abyss of early 2000s political turmoil. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026

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