abyssal

adjective

Definition of abyssalnext
1
as in unfathomable

Related Words

Relevance

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
  • Some people get excited about the idea of building product scaffolding at unfathomable scale.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Even for those of us who, for some unfathomable reason are not fascinated by high fashion history, this is an incredibly entertaining watch.
    — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfathomable
Adjective
  • The correlation reminded the scientists about how modern deep-sea life relies on falling poop to bring vital nutrients down from richer ecosystems above.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 11 Aug. 2026
  • After a Soviet ballistic missile submarine sank in the Pacific Ocean in 1968, the CIA secretly built the Hughes Glomar Explorer, disguised as a deep-sea mining vessel, to recover the wreck from nearly 5,000 meters (16,500 feet) below the surface.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of deep-sea
Adjective
  • The scenes radiate the joy of being young, attractive, and filled with infinite free time and minimal distractions except the open sky above you.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Input any value for this variable, and the equation gives you an infinite sum that adds up to another number—its output.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of infinite
Adjective
  • Africa’s largest oil and gas producer is pushing to revive hydrocarbon exploration in deepwater reserves at a time when global oil companies have retreated from their onshore Nigerian assets due to pipeline vandalism.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Morocco has been building a $1 billion deepwater port in the territory’s city of Dakhla, which featured in the video Trump shared Sunday.
    — Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of deepwater
Adjective
  • That final-day 2-1 home victory against West Bromwich Albion, played out in front of 33,750, also spoke of Wednesday’s vast potential.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In the case of those to Europe, with which China has a vast trade surplus, there’s also the question of how viable the route is both ways.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 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
  • The pair are part of an international, multi-institutional rescue mission to rehome 30 beluga whales after the sudden closure of the Niagara Falls marine park.
    — CBS Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Tropical storms approaching Hawaii typically hit cooler ocean temperatures before reaching the islands, but Lala remained over warmer water due to an ongoing marine heat wave extending to California and a developing Super El Niño.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of marine

Browse Nearby Words

abyss
abyssal
abysses
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Abyssal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abyssal. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on abyssal

Nglish: Translation of abyssal for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All