abyss

Universal Words noun [usuallysing.] (formal or literary) a very deep wide space or hole that seems to have no bottom: Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. * (figurative) an abyss of ignorance / despair / loneliness * They took a long look into the abyss before deciding whether to jump. * (figurative) The country is stepping back from the edge of an abyss.