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

Don’t wallow in self-pity and stare into the abyss. —Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025

Some 400 feet of air yawned beneath him across a sandstone abyss. —Maya Silver, Outside, 18 Nov. 2025

Here the abyss of the play opens up fully, and Strong and Manville — in her case, literally — drag themselves into it. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025

All men want is for their charging cables to stop sliding off their desks and nightstands, disappearing into a deep, dark abyss that’s impossible to reach. —John Lonsdale, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 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