abysmal
adjective
abys·mal
ə-ˈbiz-məl 
a-
1
a
: immeasurably low or wretched : extremely poor or bad
abysmal ignorance/poverty
abysmal living conditions
an abysmal performance
b
: having immense or fathomless extension downward, backward, or inward
an abysmal cliff
2
Examples of abysmal in a Sentence
They were living in abysmal ignorance.
a desperate cry echoing from the abysmal reaches of the cave
Recent Examples on the Web
David Peterson got the start and was abysmal as the southpaw didn’t make it out of the fourth inning.
—
James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
The Astros came into Thursday leading the American League in OPS, a positive aspect of their abysmal first month.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
The 2003 age group was never the strongest, especially for Canada, so that was a big contributor, but the first round after Matt Coronato was picked 13th was nothing short of abysmal, with only a handful of NHL regulars picked in the second half of the top round.
—Corey Pronman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Others leave the sector all together as a result of abysmal pay combined with being emotionally or physically taxed from the work, Nestler said.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abysmal
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James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
The Astros came into Thursday leading the American League in OPS, a positive aspect of their abysmal first month.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
The 2003 age group was never the strongest, especially for Canada, so that was a big contributor, but the first round after Matt Coronato was picked 13th was nothing short of abysmal, with only a handful of NHL regulars picked in the second half of the top round.
—Corey Pronman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Others leave the sector all together as a result of abysmal pay combined with being emotionally or physically taxed from the work, Nestler said.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abysmal
Cite this Entry
“Abysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abysmal. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
abysmal
adjective
abys·mal
ə-ˈbiz-məl
1
a
: extremely poor or bad
abysmal living conditions
b
: having an immense extension downward, backward, or inward
2
: abyssal
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