pitchy

1 of 2

adjective (1)

1
a
: full of pitch : tarry
pitchy wood/lumber
b
: of, relating to, or having the qualities of pitch
a pitchy substance/residue
2
: pitch-black
They were left in the pitchy darkness of a windy winter's night.Rudyard Kipling

pitchy

2 of 2

adjective (2)

1
of a musical tone : slightly off pitch : slightly too high or too low
"I've been told I've been too critical. But on a lot of these shows, some 17-year-old kid is told, 'You're amazing', and no, what you are is potentially amazing. But you're pitchy. You hit some bum notes. … "Boy George
2
of a sound : unpleasantly high or piercing : shrill
According to Psychology Today, nasal, pitchy voices are often caused by an obstructed airflow in the throat or nasal patches that causes an imbalance in sound vibrations during speech.Maya Rhodan

Examples of pitchy in a Sentence

Adjective (1) we stood staring into the pitchy dark forest, trying to determine what had made the strange cry the trigger-happy soldiers couldn't see a thing in the pitchy darkness
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Here are the spacey, medieval, and occasionally pitchy highs, lows, and whoas of the evening. Justin Curto, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024 But that side stage wasn’t far enough away for her horrendously pitchy singing (especially compared to the talented Swims). Justin Curto, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024 Unlike, say, Fergie's take on the song, which went viral after being intentionally/unintentionally different, Andress was pitchy, slurred her words, and appeared genuinely out of it. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 16 July 2024 Mindy fears performing after her viral, pitchy moment, but theater fans know that Park would never shy away from the stage. Ariana Brockington, refinery29.com, 2 Oct. 2020 The cast’s singing can be pitchy against the recorded backing tracks of Justin J. Scarlat’s bouncy original songs. Matthew J. Palm, orlandosentinel.com, 16 May 2021 The only real performance misstep is Wain’s singing voice, which gets a little pitchy and hard to follow. Vulture, 27 May 2022 The singing is occasionally pitchy, the staging feels a bit haphazard, and the presentation is downright low-budget by modern-day standards. Paul Grein, Billboard, 29 July 2022 Kelly was worried because there were a lot of pitchy moments. Maggie Fremont, EW.com, 5 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

pitch entry 1 + -y entry 1

Adjective (2)

pitch entry 4 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective (2)

1997, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pitchy was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near pitchy

Cite this Entry

“Pitchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitchy. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

pitchy

adjective
1
a
: full of pitch : tarry
b
: of, relating to, or having the qualities of pitch
2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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