abysmal

English

Etymology

From Old French abisme, from Vulgar Latin *abyssimus, the superlative of abyssus (“an abyss, a bottomless gulf”), from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος (abyssos, “without bottom”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”)+ βυσσός (bysso, “depth”).

Adjective

abysmal (comparative more abysmal, superlative most abysmal)

1. Pertaining to, or resembling an abyss; bottomless; unending; profound; fathomless; immeasurable.
   • Carlyle

     Geology gives one the same abysmal extent of time that astronomy does of space.

2. Extremely bad.

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "abysmal" is often applied: ignorance, record, performance, poverty, conditions, quality, perplexity, result.

Quotations

• For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.

Translations

pertaining to, or resembling an abyss; bottomless; unending; profound

Bulgarian: бездънен (bg) German: abgründig (de), abgrundtief (de) Greek: αβυσσαλέος (el) (avyssaléos) m., απύθμενος (el) (apýthmenos) m., απειροβαθής (el) (apeirovathís) m., άπατος (el) (ápatos) m.

Hungarian: feneketlen (hu) Portuguese: abismal (pt) Russian: бездонный (ru) Spanish: abismal (es), insondable (es)

extremely bad

German: erbärmlich (de), jämmerlich (de) Greek: ανεκδιήγητος (el) (anekdiígitos) m., απερίγραπτος (el) (aperígraptos) m.

Polish: beznadziejny (pl) Russian: отвратительный (ru) Spanish: atroz (es), desastroso (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

French: abyssal Ido: abismala

External links

• abysmal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• abysmal in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911