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 next few months are pivotal and will determine whether this team slides backward into the abyss that came before Shanahan or back onto a path where Cup contention becomes viable again. —Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026

Incarnating a character like this, involves a lot of jumps into an unknown abyss of a play, of a game, of a world that’s been created, and every day there is a risk. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026

Kafka compared it to descending into the cold abyss of oneself. —Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026

Within a five-day span last week, the Boston Red Sox went from the abyss to the mountaintop. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 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