1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
with its only light burned out, the closet was pitch-dark
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Recent Examples of pitch-dark
One of the officers, a special-forces commando who discussed the operation on condition of anonymity, recalls lying in the pitch-dark belly of a river barge alongside dozens of his comrades, all of them armed to the hilt, eyeing one another through night-vision goggles.
—
Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
But Byrne was also attuned to the script’s undercurrent of pitch-dark humor.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025
In the pitch-dark room, the first-time mom touched Kaia's head to check for warmth, but the house was cool, and at 3 a.m., her mind jumped to the worst.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Sep. 2025
Berger based his claim on the fossils being found in narrow, pitch-dark chambers, far from natural entrances or evidence of animal activity.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025
Alas, The Man said no to his dream of swinging a pickaxe all day within the bowels of a pitch-dark cave, and so poor Steve grew up to be the saddest doorknob salesman that Chuglass, Idaho had ever seen.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2025
Following his four-time Oscar-winning 2019 smash, the director returns in Mickey 17 to sci-fi, skewering autocracy and even attempted genocide in a pitch-dark comedy about colonization.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
Its themes and plots were often pitch-dark and inhabited by hypnotists, somnambulists, mediums, spies, the devil himself, serial killers, and crime bosses.
—Elle Carroll, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Geo News and broadcaster ARY both reported that a massive raid was launched by security forces in pitch-dark central Islamabad, where lights had been turned off and a barrage of tear gas was fired.
—Reuters, NBC News, 27 Nov. 2024
Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
But Byrne was also attuned to the script’s undercurrent of pitch-dark humor.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025
In the pitch-dark room, the first-time mom touched Kaia's head to check for warmth, but the house was cool, and at 3 a.m., her mind jumped to the worst.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Sep. 2025
Berger based his claim on the fossils being found in narrow, pitch-dark chambers, far from natural entrances or evidence of animal activity.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025
Alas, The Man said no to his dream of swinging a pickaxe all day within the bowels of a pitch-dark cave, and so poor Steve grew up to be the saddest doorknob salesman that Chuglass, Idaho had ever seen.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2025
Following his four-time Oscar-winning 2019 smash, the director returns in Mickey 17 to sci-fi, skewering autocracy and even attempted genocide in a pitch-dark comedy about colonization.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
Its themes and plots were often pitch-dark and inhabited by hypnotists, somnambulists, mediums, spies, the devil himself, serial killers, and crime bosses.
—Elle Carroll, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Geo News and broadcaster ARY both reported that a massive raid was launched by security forces in pitch-dark central Islamabad, where lights had been turned off and a barrage of tear gas was fired.
—Reuters, NBC News, 27 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitch-dark
Adjective
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By becoming the light in a darkened world, everyone becomes a firefly that helps to illuminate the way back home to each other.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
29 Oct. 2025
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Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their respects to the designer at his funeral chamber at the Armani Teatro designed by Tadao Ando, filled with white flowers and paper lanterns on the floor in a diagonal grid formation dimly lit up the darkened venue.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Geirþrúður has wrapped a large towel around herself but her shoulders are still bare and her December-dark hair is wet and wild and possibly blacker than it’s ever been.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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From the balcony, Kate appeared still, serene and composed in an all-black ensemble, accessorized with a black hat, scarf, her RAF brooch and the traditional red poppy.—
Erin Hill,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The sky was cloudless and dark with the moon’s light now below the horizon.—
Sheeka Sanahori,
Outside,
11 Nov. 2025
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Bordered by antique wood pillar columns, the custom wood and glass front doors lead into a rotunda foyer displaying dark polished hardwood floors that run throughout the interiors.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Deep inside a pitch-black cave straddling the Albanian-Greek border, researchers have uncovered what may be the largest spider web ever recorded—teeming with more than 111,000 spiders.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Much is made throughout the movie about the pitch-black nature of the songs Springsteen was recording; at one point, Landau—who went from writing about Springsteen to managing him—tells his wife that the songs sound like they’ve been made by a guilty man.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Velardo’s whereabouts were murky when he was charged in the two investigations in March, 2013.—
Karen Wang,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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But when the two leading figures behind the coup – RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in charge of the SAF – began fighting each other, the foreign powers had to choose whom to support – and their involvement became even murkier.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pitch-dark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitch-dark. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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