pitchy

1 of 2

adjective (1)

ˈpi-chē 

1

a

: full of pitch : tarry

pitchy wood/lumber

b

: of, relating to, or having the qualities of pitch

a pitchy substance/residue

2

: pitch-black

They were left in the pitchy darkness of a windy winter's night.

—Rudyard Kipling

pitchy

2 of 2

adjective (2)

1

of a musical tone : slightly off pitch : slightly too high or too low

"I've been told I've been too critical. But on a lot of these shows, some 17-year-old kid is told, 'You're amazing', and no, what you are is potentially amazing. But you're pitchy. You hit some bum notes. … "

—Boy George

2

of a sound : unpleasantly high or piercing : shrill

According to Psychology Today, nasal, pitchy voices are often caused by an obstructed airflow in the throat or nasal patches that causes an imbalance in sound vibrations during speech.

—Maya Rhodan

Synonyms

Adjective (1)

• darkened
• dark
• murky
• black

Examples of pitchy in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

we stood staring into the pitchy dark forest, trying to determine what had made the strange cry

the trigger-happy soldiers couldn't see a thing in the pitchy darkness

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

This wasn't an amateur with pitchy vocals hoping for a shot at fame; this was a full-fledged soulful rock star. —Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025

Word of mouth among those who had stayed in the theater though described the singing portion as a bit pitchy. —Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 3 Mar. 2025

Rossellini’s wavering, pitchy delivery is no mistake, but an embodiment of Dorothy’s suffering—all doused in the cheap glamor of a small town nightclub. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 17 Jan. 2025

Take a look at her pitchy live performance below. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 31 Dec. 2024

This wasn't an amateur with pitchy vocals hoping for a shot at fame; this was a full-fledged soulful rock star. —Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025

Rossellini’s wavering, pitchy delivery is no mistake, but an embodiment of Dorothy’s suffering—all doused in the cheap glamor of a small town nightclub. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 17 Jan. 2025

Here are the spacey, medieval, and occasionally pitchy highs, lows, and whoas of the evening. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024

But that side stage wasn’t far enough away for her horrendously pitchy singing (especially compared to the talented Swims). —Justin Curto, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

pitch entry 1 + -y entry 1

Adjective (2)

pitch entry 4 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective (2)

1997, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pitchy

• bitchy
• itchy

Kids Definition

pitchy

adjective

ˈpich-ē 

1

a

: full of pitch : tarry

b

: of, relating to, or having the qualities of pitch

2

: pitch-black