chthonic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Something chthonic dwells beneath the earth. This word usually refers to mythological creatures, but you could also refer to your creepy basement as chthonic. Ever heard about the mole men who live underneath the ground in tunnels? Or the mutants who live in the sewers? Or even the Fraggles? Of course, those critters are imaginary, but they're examples of chthonic creatures: beings who live under the surface of the earth. Chthonic beasts are more likely to be demons than angels, so this adjective has a hellish aspect. Many myths feature chthonic creatures.
Vocabulary lists containing chthonic
There's A Word for That
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The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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The Man in the High Castle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
People who aren’t familiar with chthonic myths might want to do some research before reading.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2025
The karst lands are so embedded in our cultural sense of place, we’ve got our own map of chthonic legends.
From Salon • Oct. 7, 2023
What’s most striking is his vocal versatility: He can go down to chthonic depths when playing a centaur, for instance, yet for Hades, he models his grandiosely arch line readings after Paul Lynde’s.
From New York Times • Dec. 3, 2019
The city is suffused with a form of darkness that locals call tamas, which “is inseparable from the chthonic energy of Shiva, the city’s presiding deity, and the god of creative dissolution,” Taseer writes.
From The New Yorker • Mar. 30, 2019
Nor was it an old city with obscure origins draped in chthonic myth, like Athens or Thebes.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
