abyss

noun

ə-ˈbis 

a-,

 also  ˈa-(ˌ)bis

1

a

: an immeasurably deep gulf or great space

gazed down into the gaping abyss

the ocean's abysses

(figurative) a widening abyss between the rich and the poor

b

: intellectual or moral depths

an abyss of moral depravity

an abyss of despair

2

: the bottomless gulf, pit, or chaos of the old cosmogonies

Synonyms

• abysm
• chasm
• deep
• gulf
• ocean

Examples of abyss in a Sentence

looking down at the dark ocean from the ship's rail, the cruise passenger felt as though he was staring into an abyss

Recent Examples on the Web

So what if her husband, Bill, is hovering on the edge of the abyss of Alzheimer’s? —Jesse Green, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024

Accused of stealing a backpack in the Bronx in 2010, Browder was dropped into an abyss of bureaucracy and neglect. —Jelani Cobb, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024

Ever since, the spacecraft has been zipping into the abyss of space, and on August 25, 2012, Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space, crossing the heliopause, which is the boundary where the sun's influence ends. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024

Rita walking through the spectral halls at night, always wearing her wings, is the image of a heavenly creature trapped in an inescapable abyss. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin abyssus, borrowed from Greek ábyssos "bottomless, unfathomable, (as noun) bottomless gulf," from a- a- entry 2 + byssós "depth of the sea," probably going back to *byth-yos, derivative of bythós "depth, deepest part, bottom," probably of pre-Greek substratal origin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

abyss

noun

ə-ˈbis 

: a gulf so deep or a space so great that it cannot be measured