pitch-black

adjective

ˈpich-ˈblak How to pronounce pitch-black (audio)
Definition of pitch-blacknext
1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light finding anything in a pitch-black room is almost impossible

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in black
having the color of soot or coal a pitch-black cat with green eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pitch-black Later that pitch-black night, Erez steps to the edge of her terrace, looks down at the sleepy city below, and lets out a blood-curdling scream. — Marisa Fox, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026 As in the pitch-black Blaga’s Lessons, which won Karlovy Vary’s Crystal Globe Competition in 2023 and went on to become Bulgaria’s official Oscar submission, no dream goes unpunished in Sofia’s breadline culture. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 July 2026 DaCosta reteams with Sean Bobbitt, who shot both Hedda and The Marvels, for a pitch-black descent into hell that holds up, despite its January release, as one of the very best horror films of the year. — Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026 This Cannes Directors’ Fortnight prizewinner sets out its pitch-black-comic stall early with a prologue in which, after a brief contretemps, local man Raoul Brun (Jean-Louis Coulloc’h) blows his supercilious neighbor’s head off with a shotgun and then disappears. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pitch-black
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitch-black
  1. darkened
  2. black
  3. dark
  4. pitch-dark
  5. murky
Adjective
  • This trend has been pretty pervasive among designer bags recently, with shoppers buying new Prada and Chanel bags with darkened leather to give them a used look, or sourcing vintage Celine bags with obvious signs of wear.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • She’s talked up her push to convert darkened streetlights, many of them stripped of their copper wire, to solar power.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Definition of darkened
Adjective
  • Footage aired by local media showed massive flames and fireballs erupting from the tank, with black and orange smoke rising in the sky as firefighters spray what appears to be foam or water in efforts to quench the intense fire.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Several black tattoos, including one of a cocktail glass, flex across his arms.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of black
Adjective
  • In Helaena’s room, Rhaenyra finds a tapestry Helaena had just finished sewing that predicts a dark and fiery end for Rhaenyra in the future.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
  • For somewhere closer to home, check a light pollution map and head to an area that looks dark.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • The music is quiet but powerful, blending pitch-dark tones and sunny melodies in ways that can recall Elliott Smith, Joanna Newsom, and Animal Collective, among other left-field heroes.
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026
  • The 21st century has yielded no shortage of stylish horror marbled with devious veins of pitch-dark humor — Peter Strickland’s In Fabric, Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook, Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies, Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, pretty much every Jordan Peele feature.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Definition of pitch-dark
Adjective
  • But in the world of online streaming, the business of running a record label or record label business has gotten a lot murkier.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Its other requirements for induction, however, are a bit murky.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of murky

Browse Nearby Words

pitch
pitch-black
pitch-dark
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Cite this Entry

“Pitch-black.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitch-black. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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