abysmal
adjective
abys·mal
ə-ˈbiz-məl 
a-
1
a
: immeasurably low or wretched : extremely poor or bad
abysmal ignorance/poverty
abysmal living conditions
an abysmal performance
b
: having immense or fathomless extension downward, backward, or inward
an abysmal cliff
2
Examples of abysmal in a Sentence
They were living in abysmal ignorance.
a desperate cry echoing from the abysmal reaches of the cave
Recent Examples on the Web
New export orders, nonetheless, were abysmal as tariff uncertainty weighs on purchases of goods.
—
Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Hynes won’t address or comment on Nyquist (who has been abysmal for 5 games, the worst player in the entire playoffs) and trots him out there in OT after that inexcusable offside, but Zeev gets benched quickly and Rossi gets demoted to 4th line and stays there.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
While Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have been great, the rest of the rotation has been abysmal.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
The only other presidential term for which the dollar started off even remotely close to this abysmal a start: Trump, during his first term, when the dollar fell 3% in the first 63 days of trading.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abysmal
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.
Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Hynes won’t address or comment on Nyquist (who has been abysmal for 5 games, the worst player in the entire playoffs) and trots him out there in OT after that inexcusable offside, but Zeev gets benched quickly and Rossi gets demoted to 4th line and stays there.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
While Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have been great, the rest of the rotation has been abysmal.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
The only other presidential term for which the dollar started off even remotely close to this abysmal a start: Trump, during his first term, when the dollar fell 3% in the first 63 days of trading.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abysmal
Cite this Entry
“Abysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abysmal. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
abysmal
adjective
abys·mal
ə-ˈbiz-məl
1
a
: extremely poor or bad
abysmal living conditions
b
: having an immense extension downward, backward, or inward
2
: abyssal
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share