What does abysmal mean?
Word: Abysmal
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Abysmal means very bad indeed, far below the standard anyone would hope for.
Synonyms: terrible, awful
Word origin: From abysm, an old word for abyss, which goes back through Latin to Greek abyssos.
How do you spell abysmal?
Syllables: a - bys - mal
Tricky part: The vowel after the b is the weak spot. It sounds like the i in bit, so students put an i where the y belongs.
Watch out for: abismal, abissmal
Memory tip: Think of an abyss, a hole so deep you cannot see the bottom. Marks that abysmal have sunk just as low, and both words keep their y.
Abysmal in a sentence
Example 1: Our fielding was abysmal on Saturday, with six easy catches dropped.
Example 2: The internet at the hill station was so abysmal that the film kept stopping.
Example 3: After an abysmal first draft, Tara rewrote her story and won the class prize.
Fun Fact
Abysmal first meant bottomless, a word for something too deep to measure. The everyday sense of very bad arrived much later.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
abys_ _ _
a) mel
b) mal
c) mle
d) mul
Show answer
b) mal. This adjective ends with the same three letters as animal.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
smybala
a) so poor that it could hardly be worse
b) so old that nobody can remember it
c) so quiet that nobody can hear it
d) so large that it is hard to measure
Show answer
a) so poor that it could hardly be worse. Rearranged, the letters give abysmal, a strong word for poor quality.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its opposite:
1. abysmal 2. meagre 3. reluctant a. eager b. plentiful c. outstanding
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. Outstanding work is the reverse of abysmal work, a meagre meal is not plentiful, and someone reluctant is not eager.
Word Tally
Give 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks in all?
abysmal, atrocious, lamentible, deplorible, dreadful
a) 4
b) 6
c) 2
d) 8
Show answer
b) 6. Lamentable and deplorable both end in able, so only three words score.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A food critic calls a cafe's service abysmal. What is she most likely to tell her readers?
a) to eat somewhere else
b) to book a table early
c) to visit with a big group
d) to try the whole menu
Show answer
a) to eat somewhere else
2. A cricket coach would be sure to call which team's batting abysmal?
a) a team all out for 20 runs
b) a team batting first at home
c) a team playing in new kit
d) a team chasing 150 runs
Show answer
a) a team all out for 20 runs
