as in ocean
an immeasurable depth or space
looking down at the dark ocean from the ship's rail, the cruise passenger felt as though he was staring into an abyss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 abyss
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
Cooler heads in the administration need to pull back from the abyss.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2026
Vancouver has continued to sink into an abyss, putting a hefty down payment in losses on the top lottery odds and best shot at phenom Gavin McKenna.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abyss
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
Cooler heads in the administration need to pull back from the abyss.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2026
Vancouver has continued to sink into an abyss, putting a hefty down payment in losses on the top lottery odds and best shot at phenom Gavin McKenna.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abyss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abyss
Noun
-
Climate change and warming oceans could potentially be driving sharks to the Southern Hemisphere’s colder waters, but there was limited data on range changes near Antarctica because of the region’s remoteness, Kyne said.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Planet Earth has gone through many periods where supercontinents and superoceans were the norm, and many others where multiple continents and multiple separate, independent oceans covered Earth’s surface.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The cub’s selfish decisions lead to the tree laying itself across a chasm to save its surrogate child.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Without Callie around, the chasm between Minnie — who holds an after-school job and eats microwaved junk at home — and Callie’s other friends feels wider than ever.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The two sides remain at loggerheads over the reforms Democrats are demanding to immigration enforcement practices and negotiators were unable to bridge the sizable gulf.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Sentinel’s silence was a symptom of a bigger disconnect in the gulf.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The 100-light-year-wide expanse of the Rosette Nebula is estimated to have a staggering mass the equivalent to 10,000 suns and has been sculpted and eroded by the radiation from nearby stars.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Here, though The Unknown touches on many of the same expanse of themes — there’s a recurring beat, which Hayes plays well, on the loneliness of being a gay man of a certain age — Cale’s construction is tidier and neater.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The two-deep should be bolstered by the Luniewski twins, who will challenge to start, along with Lawrence, Montgomery and Jones, among others.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Attempting that deep of a kick with a soggy field seemed like a dubious decision to begin with.—
Mike Kaye
Updated January 3,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abyss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abyss. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
