pitch-black
/'pitʃ'blæk/ Cách viết khác : (pitch-dark) /'pitʃ'dɑ:k/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Completely or extremely dark; having no light: Describes an absence of light so complete that it resembles the color of pitch (a thick, black, sticky substance). It implies an intense, profound darkness where nothing is visible.
Usage
- Used to describe environments, times, or objects that are utterly devoid of light.
- Often used to emphasize the intensity of the darkness, more so than simply saying "dark" or "very dark."
- Commonly appears before a noun (attributive use) or after a linking verb like "was" or "became" (predicative use).
Examples
- Attributive use (before a noun):
- We got lost in the pitch-black forest.
- He stared into the pitch-black hole.
- Predicative use (after a linking verb):
- The room was pitch-black when I turned off the lights.
- Without the stars, the night became pitch-black.
Advanced Usage
- "pitch-black darkness": A common collocation that reinforces the idea, though "pitch-black" alone is sufficient.
- The power outage left the city in pitch-black darkness.
- Used figuratively to describe something that is morally dark, obscure, or hopeless, though this is less common.
- His mood was pitch-black after hearing the news.
Variants and Related Words
- Pitch-dark (adjective): A direct synonym with identical meaning and usage.
- It was pitch-dark inside the cave.
- Jet-black (adjective): Typically describes a deep, glossy black color of an object (like hair or paint), not necessarily the absence of light in a space.
- Inky (adjective): Suggests a deep, wet-looking blackness, often used for darkness or water.
Synonyms
- Jet-black: (for color, not light)
- Inky: (for a deep, wet-seeming blackness)
- Stygian: (literary, implies a darkness like that of the mythical river Styx)
- Lightless: (completely without light)
Antonyms
- Bright
- Radiant
- Illuminated
- Well-lit
Related Phrases and Idioms
- (As) black/dark as pitch: An idiom with the same meaning as "pitch-black."
- The old cellar was as dark as pitch.
Adjective
-
extremely dark
-
a black moonless night
-
through the pitch-black woods
-
it was pitch-dark in the cellar
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