as in oceans
an immeasurable depth or space
looking down at the dark ocean from the ship's rail, the cruise passenger felt as though he was staring into an abyss
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Recent Examples of abysses
Jean-Pierre is an artifact of an age that looks recent on paper but feels prehistoric in practice—the age of pantsuits, the word ’empowerment,’ the musical Hamilton, the cheap therapeutic entreaties to ‘work on yourself’ and ‘lean in’ to various corporate abysses.
—
Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
On the other side of the country, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a longtime reader favorite, is a warm alternative to sterile airport abysses.
—Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2024
Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
On the other side of the country, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a longtime reader favorite, is a warm alternative to sterile airport abysses.
—Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abysses
Noun
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Local villages are actively monitoring the oceans and reefs in their environment, and backlash to a recent plan from a billionaire Australian to build a giant plant to incinerate rubbish in Fiji was loud and well organized, says Singh.—
MIchelle Duff,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
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Scientists at the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes in China have developed microscopic material that can hunt for uranium ions in oceans or wastewater.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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By the middle of 2023, the cracks started turning into chasms.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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As is often true of an Allbee play, cracks in the veneer open into chasms of striving, desire, betrayal and raw revelation.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In these plans, recalled Douglas Vakoch, president of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) International in San Francisco, huge diagrams would be etched on large expanses of land here on Earth.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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Large expanses of glass keep the outdoors in constant view, so the house shifts with the light throughout the day.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abysses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abysses. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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