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.
Edwards also created a bronze Chthonic Head on the beach for Lowestoft's First Light Festival this year.
From BBC • Sep. 8, 2023
In the other direction was the entrance of a Chthonic Railway station, with more crowds pouring up and down the steps.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Myths, meaning of the word, 294; Cosmogonic, 294; Heroic, 297-298; Solar, 322, 339-340; Chthonic, 330, 340-341.
From Chaldea From the Earliest Times to the Rise of Assyria by Ragozin, Zénaïde A. (Zénaïde Alexeïevna)
This expressed in the Solar and Chthonic Myths.—§
From Chaldea From the Earliest Times to the Rise of Assyria by Ragozin, Zénaïde A. (Zénaïde Alexeïevna)
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.
