ABYSMAL Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

abysmal

adjective

ə-ˈbiz-məl

Definition of abysmal

as in terrible

extremely unsatisfactory The coach apologized for the abysmal performance of the team in the loss.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in deep

extending far downward Strange sounds echoed from the abysmal reaches of the cave.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of abysmal The sight of hazy skies will be familiar to those who lived through recent summers when Canadian wildfire smoke poured into the United States, including in 2023 when air quality turned abysmal for millions of Americans. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 16 July 2026 Some individual defenders have played well, but on the whole, the defense has been abysmal, and it can’t be blamed solely on injuries to players like Lindor and Marcus Semien. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 July 2026 Clark, in and out of the lineup because of a back injury all season, never got going and was an abysmal minus-16. — Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 Remember, this is the same team that fired their manager two months ago after an abysmal start. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for abysmal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abysmal

Adjective

The delta between the disability from these diseases and the amount of funding and research being done on them is terrible.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
And forty per cent was about how great Modi is and how terrible the opposition is.

— Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

Nothing offers more profound possibilities and risks for our economy and our security, our society for very - for humanity.

— Tonya Mosley, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
Unbeknownst to them, the puzzle would help launch a profound branch of modern math about order among chaos and spark a romance that would last the rest of Klein’s life.

— Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of profound

Adjective

But tensions have opened up between data center boosters and some community organizations that want to see more jobs and economic benefits go to local residents, especially predominantly poor Hispanic farm and food processing workers.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Conventional wisdom usually attributes those failures to changing markets, disruptive competitors, or poor leadership.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

The battle sequences in this finale are awful, elaborate, and grotesque, especially Ormund using children as human shields and Daemon burning them alive.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
So, what does this mean for the markets, and us bystanders, in this awful situation?

— Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of awful

Adjective

The latest executive orders come as the president has faced dismal approval ratings in recent weeks, and the war in Iran has driven up energy prices.

— Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 3 Aug. 2026
Over the winter, the state’s snowpack topped out at a dismal, historic low.

— Evan Bush, NBC news, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismal

Adjective

With each successive win, the Boston Red Sox have put their atrocious start to the season further behind them, but this weekend at Dodger Stadium has felt different.

— Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
The trailers looked awful, with a predictably sloppy anti-hero feel, atrocious visual effects, and an uninteresting plot and villain.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026

Definition of atrocious

Browse Nearby Words

abysm

abysmal

abysmally

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“Abysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abysmal. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of abysmal

adjective

Example Sentences

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