What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Abyssal vs Abysmal - What's the difference?

abyssal | abysmal |

As adjectives the difference between abyssal and abysmal

is that abyssal is belonging to, or resembling, an abyss; unfathomable while abysmal is pertaining to, or resembling an abyss; unending; profound; fathomless; immeasurable.

abyssal

English

Adjective

(-)
  • (archaic) Belonging to, or resembling, an abyss; unfathomable.
  • (geography) Of or belonging to the ocean depths, especially below 2000 metres (6500 ft): abyssal zone .
  • (geology) Pertaining to or occurring at excessive depths in the earth's crust; plutonic.

    • Derived terms

    * abyssally * abyssal fish * abyssal plain (physical geography) * abyssal zone (physical geography)

    See also

    * byssal

    References

    * ----

    abysmal

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (now, rare) Pertaining to, or resembling an abyss; unending; profound; fathomless; immeasurable.
  • * Carlyle
    • Geology gives one the same abysmal extent of time that astronomy does of space.
  • (figurative, colloquial) Bottomless; extremely bad.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012
    • , date=June 9 , author=Owen Phillips , title=Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Robben curled an effort against the foot of the post from the edge of the box after being gifted the ball by an abysmal clearance from keeper Stephan Andersen.}}

    Usage notes

    * Nouns to which "abysmal" is often applied: ignorance, record, performance, poverty, conditions, quality, perplexity, result, and failure.

    References

    External links

    * *