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
-
But what exactly happens to these baby stars next isn't always clear (literally) because they are buried deep within clouds of dark, dusty gas that obscure them.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
All the bedrooms can be found upstairs, including one that’s currently being used as an office and a primary suite flaunting dual dressing rooms and baths, plus a sauna clad in dark gray stone.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But beyond its account of a family in flight, from both the authorities and its own murkier truths, Dangerous, Dirty, Violent and Young interrogates the radicalism of the 1960s and 70s, its unlikely alliances, its political legacies, and its many, many casualties along the way.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Most people have come to terms with that, but things get murkier in the realm of AI.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The document offers the most detailed account yet of the missing person’s investigation that culminated on Friday with the discovery of Limon’s body in a set of black trash bags discarded along the Howard Frankland Bridge.—
Dan Sullivan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Doechii and Gaga were twinning in matching black Opera Platforms by Thom Solo, and in another clip Gaga is wearing custom red crocodile Thom Solo Opera heels.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stygian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stygian. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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