Abyss vs. Chasm — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Abyss and Chasm
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Definitions
Abyss
An immeasurably deep chasm, depth, or void
"lost in the vast abysses of space and time" (Loren Eiseley).
Chasm
A deep fissure in the earth's surface
He was engulfed in a chasm of despair
A chasm a mile long
Abyss
In the book of Genesis, the primeval Chaos out of which earth and sky were formed.
Chasm
A deep, steep-sided opening in the earth's surface; an abyss or gorge.
Abyss
The abode of evil spirits; hell.
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Chasm
A sudden interruption of continuity; a gap.
Abyss
Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean.
Chasm
A pronounced difference of opinion, interests, or loyalty.
Abyss
A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space.
Chasm
A deep, steep-sided rift, gap or fissure; a gorge or abyss.
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Abyss
Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound.
Chasm
(by extension) A large difference of opinion.
Abyss
Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth.
They fell into the abyss of drug addiction.
Chasm
A deep opening made by disruption, as a breach in the earth or a rock; a yawning abyss; a cleft; a fissure.
That deep, romantic chasm which slanted down the green hill.
Abyss
An impending catastrophic happening.
Chasm
A void space; a gap or break, as in ranks of men.
Memory . . . fills up the chasms of thought.
Abyss
(heraldry) The center of an escutcheon.
Chasm
A deep opening in the earth's surface
Abyss
(oceanography) The abyssal zone.
Abyss
(figurative) A difference, especially a large difference, between groups.
Abyss
A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable, and, specifically, hell, or the bottomless pit.
Ye powers and spirits of this nethermost abyss.
The throne is darkness, in the abyss of light.
Abyss
Infinite time; a vast intellectual or moral depth.
The abysses of metaphysical theology.
In unfathomable abysses of disgrace.
Abyss
The center of an escutcheon.
Abyss
A bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
