Stygian

[ stij-ee-uhn ]

/ ˈstɪdʒ i ən /

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adjective

of or relating to the river Styx or to Hades.

dark or gloomy.

infernal; hellish.

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Also styg·i·an (for defs. 2, 3) .

Origin of Stygian

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

OTHER WORDS FROM Stygian

trans-Styg·i·an, adjective

Words nearby Stygian

St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Vitus's dance, S twist, sty, stye, Stygian, styl-, stylar, stylate, style, stylebook

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Stygian in a sentence

A narrow loophole barely filtered through a pale ray of light into that semi-Stygian darkness.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue
It was not the sort of night we know on earth, but a Stygian blackness.
The Fire People|Ray Cummings
The night had become inky-black; the town was in a valley and the shadow of trees and houses made the darkness even more Stygian.
The Onslaught from Rigel|Fletcher Pratt
One of the Stygian vessels, the Despair, was sunk by the Hope.
Old Farm Fairies:|Henry Christopher McCook

Then the Stygian darkness of the great pines grew; and the silence of wonder fell on the two quarrellers.
Werwolves|Elliott O'Donnell

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