abysmal

[uh-biz-muhl]

adjective

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

2. extremely or hopelessly bad or severe.

   abysmal ignorance; abysmal poverty.

abysmal

/ əˈbɪzməl /

adjective

1. immeasurable; very great

   abysmal stupidity

2. informal,  extremely bad

   an abysmal film

Other Word Forms

• abysmally adverb
• ultra-abysmal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abysmal¹

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

Example Sentences

There is no player who moves on from an abysmal performance as well as Ohtani.

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"I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal."

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“From his inability to fire Chip Kelly to his unjustifiable, lazy hire of a recently departed running backs coach as head coach, Jarmond’s performance has been abysmal.”

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"We don't want Canada to be complicit in this treatment, and the potential result that they could be sent to any number of countries with their own abysmal human rights record," he tells the BBC.

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The fact that only one in five women in urban areas report such crimes is pretty darn bad; that only two women in 100 do in rural areas is abysmal.

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