From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishabysmala‧bys‧mal /əˈbɪzməl/ adjective BADvery bad or of bad quality SYN terrible The reunion was an abysmal failure.► see thesaurus at bad —abysmally adverb
Examples from the Corpus
abysmal• Living conditions were abysmal.• And, besides, everyone knows second terms are abysmal.• The heat was abysmal, and so, according to them, was their set.• Dudley was recalled in 1587, and, despite his abysmal failures, was held in high esteem at court once again.• I drive around today, gently despairing at some of the abysmal shapes that litter the roads.• Surely, even by the abysmal standards of these people, we can survive without this organised slaughter?• It is abysmal that a gossip writer should use spiky chit-chat from anonymous donors to make money and notoriety for herself.Origin abysmal (1600-1700) abysm “abyss” ((14-20 centuries)), from Old French abisme, from Late Latin abyssus; → ABYSS 