abyssal

adjective

Definition of abyssalnext
1
as in unfathomable

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in deep-sea

Related Words

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 abyssal Along with the abyssal green dress, Union wore embellished leather sandal heels courtesy of Miu Miu for an extra dose of summer style. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 12 June 2026 To delve to the (geological) heart of the matter, scientists want to know the moon’s deepest secret—what’s happening at its most abyssal depths. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 7 Apr. 2026 Advertisement The cliché of the grandmaster whose mind has been tied in knots contemplating the abyssal depths of a chess game is largely a fantasy; despite a few high-profile cases, no statistical link has been established between skill in chess and madness. — Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025 The heart of noir tends to be nihilism, its abyssal mood a veil that invites you to glimpse the darker machinery of a world ruled by insurmountable powers where resistance leads only to ruin. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025 Seamounts are underwater mountains that rise hundreds or thousands of feet from the seafloor and can provide a vital habitat for marine life, while abyssal hills are smaller, underwater mounds. — Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025 Three years of computer modeling found the Antarctic overturning circulation – also known as abyssal ocean overturning – is on track to slow 42% by 2050 if the world continues to burn fossil fuels and produce high levels of planet-heating pollution. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 29 Mar. 2023 Even here, though, abyssal tuba notes exposed a sonic substratum. — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abyssal
  1. unfathomable
  2. deep-sea
  3. infinite
  4. deepwater
  5. vast
  6. benthic
  7. pelagic
  8. marine
Adjective
  • The masked suspect who fatally shot a beloved barber while trying to steal his handmade Miami Cuban bracelet outside a Queens strip club ran off empty-handed, but left those who knew the victim with an unfathomable hole in their hearts.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • A lot like his unfathomable eternity with the Royals, a job that he somehow was offered as a 25-year-old in 1969 with scant experience.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfathomable
Adjective
  • The development marked the first ship-to-ship commercial ethanol bunkering of a deep-sea container vessel in the United States.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The refinery was initially planned to be built in Tanzania’s coastal town of Tanga, but Dangote said it was later determined that Lamu had deeper waters, solid ground capable of supporting the heavy equipment, and deep-sea access.
    — Evelyne Musambi, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of deep-sea
Adjective
  • To find the proof for zeta(3), Apéry sandwiched the function between two infinite series that converged at just the right speed to ensure zeta(3) must be irrational.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In truth, as God’s children the drivers were expressing infinite and omnipresent Mind.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of infinite
Adjective
  • The yacht will be transported from Royal Huisman’s newbuild facility in Vollenhove to the shipyard’s deepwater location near Amsterdam in November, where she will be launched before the stepping of her towering Rondal carbon mast and matching boom.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026
  • According to Hapag-Lloyd, the average waiting time for Gemini Cooperation services calling at Shanghai’s Yangshan deepwater port is approximately five to six days, and seven to eight days for non-Gemini services.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of deepwater
Adjective
  • For some of the wealthiest families in the United States, their vast fortunes have been cultivated over decades as their businesses are passed from one generation to the next.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026
  • While JPMorgan faces a vast and onerous regulatory burden—a legacy of all the financial crises caused by bank failures—BlackRock is still relatively lightly regulated.
    — Robin Wigglesworth, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of vast
Adjective
  • Supporting future development Project leaders described Expedition 7 as one of the most productive benthic baseline campaigns completed within the deep-sea minerals sector.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026
  • Recognizable by their strong pharyngeal teeth used to crush mollusc shells, black carps can significantly impact local ecosystems by feeding on mussels and snails, and competing with other native benthic fishes like smallmouth buffalo.
    — Cheyenne Derksen, Oklahoman, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of benthic
Adjective
  • His winning series was captured in the waters of Anilao, Philippines, where pelagic and larval marine life migrate from the depths each night to feed under the cover of darkness.
    — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Researchers also encountered glass squid and spotted a pelagic octopus feeding on a bright red jellyfish.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026
Definition of pelagic
Adjective
  • Until now, scientists could measure the total phosphorus preserved in ancient rocks, but determining the share that was actually available to marine life remained challenging.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The waves also increase ocean temperatures and push cold, nutrient-rich waters deeper below the surface, which has an impact on marine life.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of marine

Browse Nearby Words

abyss
abyssal
abysses
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Cite this Entry

“Abyssal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abyssal. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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