noun
abyss
uh-BIHS
noun
1
A very deep, seemingly bottomless chasm or void.
"The climbers peered nervously into the dark abyss below."
2
A situation or state of overwhelming trouble, hopelessness, or ruin.
"The country seemed to be sliding into an economic abyss."
How to Use Abyss
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA bottomless-seeming pit, literal or figurative — used for physical depths or dire situations.
Common pairings
stare into the abyss
the abyss of despair
Word Forms
abysses plural
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The climbers peered nervously into the dark _____ below.
Etymology
From Greek abyssos, "bottomless," from a- ("not") plus byssos ("depth") — describing a gulf so deep it has no floor.