abysmal
adj.adj. extremely bad or of very poor quality. You use this to describe something that is so low or bad it is hard to believe.
adj. extremely bad, low, or poor in quality. Often used to describe performance, conditions, or moral standards that fall far below an acceptable level.
The team's performance was abysmal during the final match.
The quality of the local water supply was abysmal, leading to a public health crisis.
Despite the company's vast resources, its management of the crisis was abysmal, resulting in a significant loss of public trust and a sharp decline in stock value.
From abysm + -al. Compare abyssal.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Adjectiveabysmal
- Adverbabysmally
Last updated May 18, 2026