abyss

/ə'bis/

Thân thiện

A lone figure stands at the edge of a dark abyss.

Definition

Noun: 1. A bottomless gulf or pit; a deep, immeasurable space: A physical chasm or void of such great depth it appears to have no bottom. 2. An unfathomable cavity or chasm extending below: Any profound depth that is difficult or impossible to measure or comprehend. 3. A situation of profound hopelessness, despair, or mystery (often used figuratively): A state or condition that feels vast, empty, and terrifying, such as extreme grief, financial ruin, or the unknown.

Usage and Examples

• The explorers peered over the edge into the dark abyss.
• The submarine dove into the oceanic abyss.
• After the loss, she felt she was staring into an abyss of grief.
• The country's economy was on the brink of a financial abyss.

Advanced and Figurative Usage

• "to stare into the abyss" / "to gaze into the abyss": To confront a terrifying void, either literally or metaphorically, often implying a confrontation with nothingness, despair, or a great unknown.
  • In his philosophy, he wrote about what happens when one stares into the abyss.
• "the abyss of time": Used to describe the vast, incomprehensible expanse of geological or cosmic time.
  • These fossils are relics from the abyss of time.
• "abyss of ignorance": A metaphorical phrase describing a state of complete lack of knowledge or understanding.
  • The new discovery helped pull the field out of an abyss of ignorance.

Variants and Related Words

• Abyssal (adjective): Relating to the depths of the ocean, especially between about 3000 and 6000 meters deep.
  • Abyssal plains are among the flattest areas on Earth.
• Abysm (noun): An archaic or literary synonym for "abyss."
• Abysmal (adjective):
  • Extremely bad or severe.

    • The service was abysmal.
  • (Archaic) Resembling an abyss; bottomless.

Synonyms

• Chasm
• Gulf
• Void
• Precipice
• Depth(s)

Antonyms

• Summit
• Peak
• Pinnacle
• Height

Idioms and Phrases

• "Between the devil and the deep blue sea" / "Between a rock and a hard place": While not containing the word "abyss," these idioms express a similar feeling of being trapped between two perilous or disastrous alternatives, akin to being on the edge of an abyss on both sides.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• abysm