abysmal

American  

[uh-biz-muhl] / əˈbɪz məl /

adjective

1. of or like an abyss; immeasurably deep or great.

2. extremely or hopelessly bad or severe.

   abysmal ignorance; abysmal poverty.

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abysmal British  

/ əˈbɪzməl /

adjective

1. immeasurable; very great

   abysmal stupidity

2. informal extremely bad

   an abysmal film

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Other Word Forms

• abysmally
  adverb
• ultra-abysmal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of abysmal

First recorded in 1650–60; abysm + -al ¹

Explanation

If you want to say something is really, really bad — then call it abysmal. If one person shows up to your party, well then that is an abysmal turnout. The 1958 Ford Edsel? An abysmal failure. When someone describes the hole you just dug as abysmal, you may not know whether to take it as positive or negative feedback. That's because starting in the 1650s, abysmal simply meant “resembling an abyss in depth.” By that definition you've just received a compliment on your deep digging skills. But since the early twentieth century, abysmal has been more commonly used to identify something as "extremely bad." So it's more likely that your hole has just been insulted.

Example Sentences

Abysmal earnings have held back small-caps in recent years.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

Abysmal conditions inside the buildings have been flagged repeatedly in court filings, inspection reports and other city records since the 1970s.

From New York Times • Oct. 11, 2021

Abysmal sales figures, idled production lines and the still-parked 737 fleet further tell the grim story.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2020

Abysmal snowpack in the Rockies would put about one-quarter the normal amount of water into the Colorado River that season.

From Scientific American • Jun. 2, 2015

The first Abysmal God without beginning begets a comprehensible will which is Son.

From Spiritual Reformers in the 16th & 17th Centuries by Jones, Rufus Matthew