variants
also chthonian
as in infernal
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Recent Examples of chthonic
That’s because the Greeks distinguished between Olympian gods, who lived on Mt. Olympus, and chthonic gods, who lived in the underworld.
—
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2025
But Lloyd is less interested in the specifics of either work than in the chthonic rage underneath.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
And no one suffers quite like the True Believer; surrendering to optimism is an invitation for chthonic forces to start doling out a whole lot of emotional rump puntings.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Aug. 2024
Before the backdrop of a magmatic cavern stand three adventurers: a warrior, a mage, and a trickster who, with a roll of the dice, are preparing to defeat a tentacled chthonic beast.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2024
Like the first game, Hades II puts you in the role of a child of Hades who, with the aid of their extended family of Olympic gods, chthonic figures, and lesser deities, must face a never-ending gauntlet to escape the realm to which they’re bound.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2024
Hades and Persephone are chthonic deities, and the word can also be used more poetically to describe something dark and deathly, with a sinister power.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 2 June 2023
Along with enduring anxious nights underground during aerial warfare, each is shown in his own way to have drawn on more transcendent themes, namely the chthonic mysteries of the English landscape and the polymorphous eroticism of the nude human body.
—Richard B. Woodward, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2022
Alex Garland’s latest feature, Men, is a sinister descent into a chthonic nightmare world disguised as a posh English country estate — where ancient forces engage in violent cycles of death and rebirth.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 20 May 2022
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2025
But Lloyd is less interested in the specifics of either work than in the chthonic rage underneath.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
And no one suffers quite like the True Believer; surrendering to optimism is an invitation for chthonic forces to start doling out a whole lot of emotional rump puntings.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Aug. 2024
Before the backdrop of a magmatic cavern stand three adventurers: a warrior, a mage, and a trickster who, with a roll of the dice, are preparing to defeat a tentacled chthonic beast.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2024
Like the first game, Hades II puts you in the role of a child of Hades who, with the aid of their extended family of Olympic gods, chthonic figures, and lesser deities, must face a never-ending gauntlet to escape the realm to which they’re bound.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2024
Hades and Persephone are chthonic deities, and the word can also be used more poetically to describe something dark and deathly, with a sinister power.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 2 June 2023
Along with enduring anxious nights underground during aerial warfare, each is shown in his own way to have drawn on more transcendent themes, namely the chthonic mysteries of the English landscape and the polymorphous eroticism of the nude human body.
—Richard B. Woodward, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2022
Alex Garland’s latest feature, Men, is a sinister descent into a chthonic nightmare world disguised as a posh English country estate — where ancient forces engage in violent cycles of death and rebirth.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 20 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chthonic
Adjective
-
The wildfires scorching Southern California are turning entire neighborhoods into ash, decimating expensive properties and exacerbating an insurance crisis that predates the infernal blazes.—
Sharon Udasin,
The Hill,
16 Jan. 2025
-
Because of the infernal heat and swamplike humidity at Beech Bend, there was a lot of prep work to be done before the Nostalgia Nationals elimination rounds could commence.—
Rachel Kushner,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Shows such as Stranger Things and Buffy the Vampire Slayer settled on the trope of a hellish world reachable only through science-fiction portals.—
K. Austin Collins,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
-
Precisely who Trump wants to punish appears secondary to his delight in releasing precisely those hellish dogs.—
Rachel Hadas,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Concerts have taken place in a pineapple greenhouse, a tea factory, and even a geothermal bath, where 800 attendees soaked in sulfurous yellow water while listening to the ethereal electro-pop of Basque singer-songwriter Verde Prato.—
Philip Sherburne,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Aug. 2024
-
Even for people like me who enjoy transforming leftovers into rocket fuel for their garden, composting can turn into a foul, stinking, sulfurous mess.—
Michael J. Coren,
Washington Post,
30 July 2024
Adjective
-
Here, the gardens often appear to be sinking or submerged as rising seas threaten to turn earthly Edens into swampland.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2025
-
The monastery is especially known for its incredible wall hangings and a cache of artifacts associated with centuries of Rinchen Zangpo’s reborn earthly form.—
Shoshi Parks,
Smithsonian Magazine,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The morning of April 1, 1976, Moore announced on a BBC radio station that at 9:47 am, Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, creating the Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational Effect.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
31 Mar. 2016
-
His most recent discoveries, the two tiny Plutonian satellites, were named with the help of a popular vote.—
Nadia Drake,
WIRED,
15 July 2013
Thesaurus Entries Near chthonic
Cite this Entry
“Chthonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chthonic. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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