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Definition of abysmal adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

abysmal

adjective
 
/əˈbɪzməl/
 
/əˈbɪzməl/
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  1. extremely bad or of a very low standard synonym terrible
    • His manners are abysmal.
    • The council has an abysmal record on education.
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryAbysmal is used with these nouns:
    • record
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 17th cent. (used literally as in 'very deep'): from abysm, from Old French abisme, medieval Latin abysmus, alteration of late Latin abyssus ‘bottomless pit’. The figurative meaning dates from the early 19th cent.
See abysmal in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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