Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

abysmal

adjective
 
 
/əˈbɪz.məl/

Definition

very bad: abysmal working conditions The food was abysmal. The standard of the students' work is abysmal.Serious and unpleasantNot attractive to look atInformal words for bad abysmally
 
 
/-i/ adverb
an abysmally poor bookSerious and unpleasantNot attractive to look atInformal words for bad
(Definition of abysmal adjective from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“abysmal” in other dictionaries

Word of the Day

bogus

false, not real or not legal

Word of the Day

Blog

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Learn More

New Words

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.

Learn More