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

Overall, its candidates continue to lean left, but the party is mostly avoiding a tumble into the abyss. —Henry Olsen, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2026

Throughout his career as a public scholar, Ehrlich was never afraid to look into the abyss. —The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026

In June, when the surface temperatures of the rock deep inside the abyss can claw toward 170 degrees — hot enough to kill a rattlesnake caught in the open in a few minutes — the Kaibab offers a cool reprieve. —New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

The former shows a figurine of a young woman rolling through a pinball machine that throws her in different directions and down chutes, always seemingly on the precipice of falling into an abyss. —Jada Yuan, Vulture, 13 Mar. 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