abysmally

4 7.0

In a very bad way that shows poor quality or failure

adverb
/əˈbɪz.mə.li/

: de manera terrible

Of course, he failed his test abysmally.
abysmally low
abysmally poor
failed abysmally

You know, just animals being treated abysmally and being fed crops grown in a completely unsustainable way.

Examples

You live in DC and seem to be abysmally ignorant of life in Fairfax County.

Blog text (26)
And you can see the average groups are really doing rather abysmally, right?
So much of the best stuff throughout history has been abysmally written.

Blog text (9)
When we look at savings rates, they are abysmally low in the US.

Blog text (3)
And the percentage who actually make a living is still abysmally small.

Blog text (9)
How could these teachers be expected to teach the subjects well in which they had such abysmally poor preparation?

Academic text (1994)
Many students with disabilities are performing abysmally in America's schools.

Academic text (2014)
One reason for Nigeria's high level of fertility is the abysmally low level of contraceptive use.

Academic text (1998)
In this role of manager-developer, Rusk failed abysmally, evidencing an attitude to which his son calls attention.

Academic text (1991)
The students performed abysmally on the exam, leading to many failing grades.

Synonyms

badly

vsabysmally

460 1.0

To a great degree

is the more intense term stressing terrible and awful manner

poorly

vsabysmally

243 1.4

In a bad or unsuccessful way

is stronger, indicating truly terrible quality rather than mere inadequacy

horribly

vsabysmally

119 3.5

In a very bad or shocking way

is the broader expression of very bad quality rather than emotion

grossly

vsabysmally

Formal

52 4.3

In a way that is very wrong or extreme

is broader, focusing on severe badness rather than flagrancy or obvious wrongness

terribly

vsabysmally

52 1.0

In a very bad way

is more strongly negative, stressing extreme degree rather than simple poor quality

woefully

vsabysmally

26 6.5

In a way that is very bad or not good enough

is the more neutral label for extreme badness rather than regret or sorrow

dreadfully

vsabysmally

17 4.4

Shows that something is very bad, unpleasant, or extreme

is the plain label for extreme badness without fear focus

hideously

vsabysmally

16 5.5

In a very ugly or shocking way

is the broad term for terrible manner rather than visual ugliness

egregiously

vsabysmally

6 8.2

In an extremely bad and obvious way that shocks people

is the general word for extreme bad manner rather than shocking wrongness

disastrously

vsabysmally

6 5.6

In a way that causes great harm or failure

is the general extreme badness term rather than focusing on caused harm

horrendously

vsabysmally

5 5.5

In a very bad or extreme way

is the general term for extreme bad manner without extra force

appallingly

vsabysmally

5 6.8

Makes people feel shocked or disgusted

is the general extreme negative term rather than causing shock specifically

miserably

vsabysmally

5 2.2

In a way that shows great unhappiness or pain

is about terrible quality rather than personal misery or sadness

dismally

vsabysmally

3 4.8

In a gloomy way that makes people feel sad or hopeless

is the wider extreme badness word rather than mood or atmosphere

abominably

vsabysmally

2 8.2

In a very rude and cruel way

is the neutral extreme badness term rather than morally offensive focus

atrociously

vsabysmally

1 7.4

In a very bad or shocking way

is the wider descriptor of terrible manner rather than moral shock

deplorably

vsabysmally

1 7.9

In a very bad, shameful way that deserves strong criticism

is the general extreme badness label rather than implying blame

awfully

vsabysmally

1 3.0

To happen in a very bad or unpleasant way

is stronger, stressing extreme and terrible manner rather than general badness

Antonyms

well

∞ 1.0

In a good or skillful way

excellently

6 2.8

In a very good way that shows a lot of skill

How Badly

abysmally

4 7.0

awfully

1 3.0

badly

203 1.0

poorly

243 1.4

Surface Forms

abysmally positive

abysmaller comparative

abysmalest superlative

Morphology

abysmally = abysmal (semi-transparent) = abysm + ally

The word 'abysmally' derives from 'abysmal', which is a known adjective, but the extreme negative connotation may not be immediately apparent to all learners.

Etymology

Abysmally comes from the word abyss, which meant a 'bottomless pit' or very deep hole. So to do something abysmally is to do it 'so badly that it feels like falling into a bottomless pit', which is why the word means 'extremely bad'.