abysmal
Americanadjective
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of or like an abyss; immeasurably deep or great.
-
extremely or hopelessly bad or severe.
abysmal ignorance; abysmal poverty.
adjective
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immeasurable; very great
abysmal stupidity
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informal extremely bad
an abysmal film
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abysmal
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.
Vocabulary lists containing abysmal
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Six Crimson Cranes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scott made unfavorable headlines against the 49ers after an abysmal tackling effort during Jacob Cowing’s 83-yard punt return for a touchdown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
It’s the dog days of summer, with beastly heat, no proper holidays, and an abysmal history.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
The fact that “Scary Movie” will almost certainly get a sequel, despite the abysmal reactions, is a great thing.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
As if the ugliness of the 120 minutes wasn't enough - the grisly battle, the hair-on-fire panic, the abysmal lack of anything resembling coherence or even competence - there was the disgrace of the post-match.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026
Yet this had not been the moment; it was as far back as he could go, but the secret, the turning, the abysmal drop was farther back, in darkness.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
