abyss; deep chasm; dire situation
Meanings
2 senses · 7 examplesnoun
abyss; very deep water or chasm
Literally refers to extremely deep bodies of water or vertical drops. Often used in literary descriptions of natural scenery.
He stood at the cliff's edge, looking down at the ten-thousand-fathom abyss beneath his feet.
Many strange creatures survive in the deep abyss of the ocean floor.
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The waterfall cascaded down from the heights, falling into a bottomless abyss.
noun
abyss (figurative); dire situation; depths of suffering or moral depravity
literaryMetaphorically describes extremely difficult, dangerous, or morally corrupt situations from which escape is difficult. Often used in formal or literary contexts.
The war pushed countless families into the abyss of suffering.
Like standing on the edge of an abyss, like walking on thin ice—extremely cautious.
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Greed caused him to slide step by step into the abyss of sin.
In despair, she felt she was falling into a bottomless abyss.