as in darkened
being without light or without much light
lost in the stygian reaches of the deep forest
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Recent Examples of stygian
But the film that follows — luminously ashen where too many recent movies and TV shows have just been irritatingly dim — is flooded with a moonlight so lucid and alive that even the story’s most stygian moments might as well have been set at high noon.
—
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2024
On the credit side of the ledger, the stygian interior decor is brightened at night by the neonesque instrument and secondary-control lighting—blue and red—and the cabin is commendably quiet at most operating speeds.
—Tony Swan, Car and Driver, 3 June 2023
In the last half of 1934, glimmers of daylight peaked through the stygian blackness and, and 1935, the downward trajectory began to reverse itself and tick upward.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2023
Predators that eat the banana-sized birds include peregrine falcons, stygian owls and arboreal snakes.
—Jill Langlois, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2023
Did this rodent revenant cross a stygian void to haunt us yet again?
—Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2022
Streaks should start cutting through the stygian sky starting at midnight.
—Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, 11 Aug. 2021
When his tiny friend Trinket devises a scheme for their escape from the orphanage, Arthur embarks on a quest through a wild wood and into the stygian corridors of a subterranean city to solve the mystery of his origins.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2017
After a five-minute ride through the stygian darkness, the barge eases up to a low dock.
—Wayne Curtis, WIRED, 30 May 2017
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2024
On the credit side of the ledger, the stygian interior decor is brightened at night by the neonesque instrument and secondary-control lighting—blue and red—and the cabin is commendably quiet at most operating speeds.
—Tony Swan, Car and Driver, 3 June 2023
In the last half of 1934, glimmers of daylight peaked through the stygian blackness and, and 1935, the downward trajectory began to reverse itself and tick upward.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2023
Predators that eat the banana-sized birds include peregrine falcons, stygian owls and arboreal snakes.
—Jill Langlois, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2023
Did this rodent revenant cross a stygian void to haunt us yet again?
—Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2022
Streaks should start cutting through the stygian sky starting at midnight.
—Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, 11 Aug. 2021
When his tiny friend Trinket devises a scheme for their escape from the orphanage, Arthur embarks on a quest through a wild wood and into the stygian corridors of a subterranean city to solve the mystery of his origins.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2017
After a five-minute ride through the stygian darkness, the barge eases up to a low dock.
—Wayne Curtis, WIRED, 30 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stygian
Adjective
-
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
As scientists often find darkened teeth in ancient burials, other factors can contribute to a black appearance, notably the chewing of betel leaves.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The rooms In darker hues with lots of hardwood and colorful fabrics, the rooms here don’t fall into your standard contemporary look.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
Forty-four of the 89 counties along Route 66 were sundown towns, communities where it was encouraged for Black people to leave before dark — or else.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
But first, the imager will scout the asteroid’s immediate neighborhood to check for any moonlets that could pose hazards to the spacecraft or offer clues to the space rock’s murky past.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
-
Details of their final days remain murky.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
In between, there are even taller art sculptures in red, green, or black colors.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
There are black mold deposits in the water, in the drinking water.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stygian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stygian. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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