abysmal — abysmal, abyssal The currency of these two words is in inverse proportion to that of the parent words: abysmal, with its figurative meaning ‘very bad’ and a literal meaning relating to gorges, outer space, etc., is common, whereas abyssal is… … Modern English usage
Abysmal — A*bys mal, a. Pertaining to, or resembling, an abyss; bottomless; unending; profound. [1913 Webster] Geology gives one the same abysmal extent of time that astronomy does of space. Carlyle. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
abysmal — (adj.) 1650s, formed in English from ABYSM (Cf. abysm) + AL (Cf. al) (1). Weakened sense of extremely bad is first recorded 1904, perhaps from abysmal ignorance (suggestive of its depth ), an expression attested from 1847. Related: Abysmally … Etymology dictionary
abysmal — [adj1] great extent; immeasurable bottomless, boundless, complete, deep, endless, extreme, illimitable, incalculable, infinite, profound, thorough, unending, unfathomable, vast; concepts 772,793 Ant. infinite abysmal [adj2] extending deeply… … New thesaurus
abysmal — [ə biz′məl] adj. [ ABYSM + AL] 1. of or like an abyss; bottomless; unfathomable 2. wretched to the point of despair; immeasurably bad [abysmal poverty] abysmally adv … English World dictionary
abysmal — index profound (intense) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
abysmal — *deep, profound Analogous words: illimitable, *infinite Contrasted words: *superficial, shallow … New Dictionary of Synonyms
abysmal — ► ADJECTIVE 1) informal extremely bad. 2) literary very deep. DERIVATIVES abysmally adverb … English terms dictionary
abysmal — adjective Date: circa 1656 1. a. having immense or fathomless extension downward, backward, or inward < an abysmal cliff > b. immeasurably great ; profound … New Collegiate Dictionary
abysmal — [[t]əbɪ̱zm(ə)l[/t]] ADJ GRADED If you describe a situation or the condition of something as abysmal, you think that it is very bad or poor in quality. Our abysmal record at producing scientifically trained and numerate manpower will cripple us … English dictionary
abysmal — adj. 1 colloq. extremely bad (abysmal weather; the standard is abysmal). 2 profound, utter (abysmal ignorance). Derivatives: abysmally adv. Etymology: archaic or poet. abysm = ABYSS, f. OF abi(s)me f. med.L abysmus … Useful english dictionary
