abysmal

[ uh-biz-muhl ]
See synonyms for abysmal on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or like an abyss; immeasurably deep or great.

  2. extremely or hopelessly bad or severe: abysmal ignorance; abysmal poverty.

Origin of abysmal

1
First recorded in 1650–60; abysm + -al1

Other words from abysmal

  • a·bys·mal·ly, adverb
  • ul·tra-a·bys·mal, adjective

Words Nearby abysmal

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How to use abysmal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abysmal

abysmal

/ (əˈbɪzməl) /


adjective
  1. immeasurable; very great: abysmal stupidity

  2. informal extremely bad: an abysmal film

Derived forms of abysmal

  • abysmally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012