It could be a typo, or since both words refer to deep, maybe the writer was simply confused. Maybe the fact that abysmal and abyssal are homonyms (spelled and sound the same but with different meanings) is the problem.
I certainly was when confused I read that “. . . her reaction was abyssal”. Since the setting was a cottage in the, ahem, depths of Ireland, I knew it wasn’t at the bottom of the ocean, and I didn’t think the author was referring to the rock of which the cottage was constructed. I suppose the writer was thinking abyss, but it still doesn’t account for the abyssal to which the author sank in using the wrong word.
What it comes down to is that abysmal is like an abyss, deep, and bad.
That said, abyssal is like an abyss and deep, deep, deep underwater. In other words abyssal has to do with deep waters and abysmal has to do with really bad.
Now I’m feeling abysmal, sunk into the abyss of despair, expecting to sink to the abyssal flood of tears…
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Abysmal | Abyssal |
|---|---|
 — |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective | Adjective |
Extremely bad
[Literary] Very deep Of or like an abyss |
[Chiefly technical] Relating to or denoting the depths or bed of the ocean, especially between about 10,000 and 20,000 feet down
[Geology] Relating to or denoting igneous rock formed by solidification at considerable depth beneath the earth’s surface
Of or like an abyss |
| Examples: | |
| The quality of her work is abysmal.
Our weather this past winter has been abysmal for most of my neighbors. Milwaukee Public Schools have an abysmal record with, by, and for their students. The quality of job seekers these days is abysmal, as they all want to start as vice-president. He wore a deep green robe and had the same black abysmal eyes as Mrs Flockhart. |
The genera found in the abyssal North Atlantic is more numerous than expected.
It’s amazing how tall those cliffs are next to that coast that drops off to abyssal depths. They are found in all seas, at all latitudes, and from the intertidal to the abyssal zone. With the deepest seas in Indonesia and islands jutting up from abyssal depths, the diving is appropriately dramatic. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: ultra-abysmal Adverb: abysmally |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| Mid-17th century (used literally as in very deep).
Early 19th century, from the noun abysm, a literary or poetic term for abyss, in the sense of extremely bad. In the 19th century, abysmal was more common in oceanography. |
Mid-17th century, from the late Latin abyssalis meaning belonging to an abyss. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Abysmal versus Abyssal
Apple Dictionary.com
Oxford Dictionaries: abysmal, abyssal
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Revised as of 1 April 2024
By: Kathy Davie