abyss

¹ American  

[uh-bis] / əˈbɪs /

noun

1. a deep, immeasurable space, gulf, or cavity; vast chasm.

2. anything that seems to be without end or is impossible to measure, define, or comprehend.

   the abyss of their grief and sorrow.

3. (in ancient cosmogony)

   1. the primal chaos before Creation.

   2. the infernal regions; hell.

   3. a subterranean ocean.

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Abyss. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Abyssinia.

2. Abyssinian.

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abyss British  

/ əˈbɪs /

noun

1. a very deep or unfathomable gorge or chasm

2. anything that appears to be endless or immeasurably deep, such as time, despair, or shame

3. hell or the infernal regions conceived of as a bottomless pit

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Etymology

Origin of abyss

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English abissus, from Late Latin abyssus, from Greek ábyssos “bottomless,” equivalent to a- a- ⁶ + byssós “bottom of the sea”

Explanation

The noun abyss refers to a deep void or chasm — either literal or figurative. Making a momentous life decision with great uncertainty, like enrolling in clown college, might feel like jumping into the abyss. Traditionally, the abyss referred to the "bottomless pit" of Hell. Now it might refer to either a literal chasm or a figurative one: "Thirty years ago, we peered into this abyss and pulled back just in time." The word is sometimes used to describe a wide difference between cultures or nations. Abyss comes from Greek: a- "without" + byssos, "depth, bottom." You may know the related adjective abysmal, which means "appallingly bad" — or "way down in the depths," as it were.

Example Sentences

And when I think back to the time I stared into the abyss and lived long enough to understand what it meant, I know this: we can’t become a generation that looks away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

"There is no such situation; instead, what we realise is that the country is going further into an abyss."

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Elsewhere, “Navalny” filmmaker Daniel Roher also tries to look at the bright side in his latest, “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist,” but only after gazing into the abyss.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

Yes, he has managed to get both because he has a good, long-term job, and he’s slowly crawling out of the abyss.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026

There is a tale told in the East Reach of a boat that ran aground, days out from any shore, over the abyss of ocean.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• chasm
• crevasse
• depth
• void