Stygian

[ stij-ee-uh n ]

/ ˈstɪdʒ i ən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR Stygian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to the river Styx or to Hades.

dark or gloomy.

infernal; hellish.

Also styg·i·an (for defs 2, 3).

Origin of Stygian

1560–70; < Latin Stygi(us) < Greek Stýgios (Styg-, stem of Stýx Styx + -ios adj. suffix) + -an

OTHER WORDS FROM Stygian

trans-Styg·i·an, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stygian

The moon was just rising above the horizon, but under the trees the darkness was Stygian.
The Hill|Horace Annesley Vachell
Justus Miles was the first to come to, and he found himself in Stygian blackness.
The Heads of Apex|Francis Flagg
At the far end of this courtyard a shadowy pavilion arose, culled from the Stygian gloom by the sheen of the lightnings.
Under the Witches' Moon|Nathan Gallizier
Not a star could blink a wan ray of light into that Stygian pit.
The Man of the Forest|Zane Grey

He descended by a cave situated on the side of the promontory of Tænarus, and arrived in the Stygian realm.
The Classic Myths in English Literature and in Art (2nd ed.) (1911)|Charles Mills Gayley

British Dictionary definitions for stygian

Stygian

/ (ˈstɪdʒɪən) /

adjective

of or relating to the river Styx

mainly literary

dark, gloomy, or hellish
completely inviolable, as a vow sworn by the river Styx

Word Origin for Stygian

C16: from Latin Stygius, from Greek Stugios, from Stux Styx; related to stugein to hate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Stygian

adjective

Words related to Stygian

Origin of Stygian

OTHER WORDS FROM Stygian

Examples from the Web for stygian

British Dictionary definitions for stygian

adjective

Word Origin for Stygian