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 — 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
