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
-
Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui posted a video to X over the weekend, showing a dazzling view of auroras spreading like a tall blanket over the darkened Earth below.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
The activist also went full glam on her flight, looking radiant in bronzy makeup, complete with dark eyeliner, fluttery eyelashes, fluffy eyebrows, luminous skin, and glossy lips.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
-
More dark, romantic beauty inspiration.—
Jesa Marie Calaor,
Allure,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But in the murky intermediate regime, the full quantum complexity of each electron plays a role, and the problem is classically intractable.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 Feb. 2026
-
There were a lot of murky secrets in the Victorian world.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Sánchez Arévalo has framed the film as a deliberate genre blend — thriller, drama, black comedy and Western — emphasizing that its resistance to easy labelling was central to the appeal.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The black outline at the neckline of the dress was contrasted by a soft, creamy color on the remaining fabric.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stygian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stygian. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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