adj

abysmal

uh-BIHZ-muhl

Abysmal (adj) means Extremely bad; of very poor quality. Example: “The team's defense was abysmal in the second half.”

adj

Extremely bad; of very poor quality.

"The team's defense was abysmal in the second half."

"Customer service at the store was abysmal."

Resembling a bottomless pit; immense and deep.

"The cave descended into an abysmal darkness."

How to use abysmal

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishUsually just means "really, really bad" — the deep-pit sense is much rarer today.

Common pairings

abysmal failure abysmal performance

Word forms

more abysmal comparative, most abysmal superlative

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The team's defense was _____ in the second half.

Etymology

Built from abysm, an older form of abyss, plus the adjective suffix -al.

Frequently asked questions

What does “abysmal” mean?

The word “abysmal” means extremely bad; of very poor quality. In plain terms, usually just means "really, really bad" — the deep-pit sense is much rarer today.

How do you pronounce “abysmal”?

“Abysmal” is pronounced uh-BIHZ-muhl (/əˈbɪz.məl/ in IPA).

How do you use “abysmal” in a sentence?

Here is “abysmal” used in a sentence: “The team's defense was abysmal in the second half.”

What part of speech is “abysmal”?

“Abysmal” is an adjective.

How many meanings does “abysmal” have?

“Abysmal” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: extremely bad; of very poor quality.