mortal
Americanadjective
-
subject to death; having a transitory life.
all mortal creatures.
-
of or relating to human beings as subject to death; human.
this mortal life.
-
belonging to this world.
-
deadly or implacable; relentless.
a mortal enemy.
-
severe, dire, grievous, or bitter.
in mortal fear.
-
causing or liable to cause death; fatal.
a mortal wound.
-
to the death.
mortal combat.
-
of or relating to death.
the mortal hour.
-
involving spiritual death (opposed to venial).
mortal sin.
-
long and wearisome.
-
extreme; very great.
in a mortal hurry.
-
conceivable; possible.
of no mortal value to the owners.
noun
-
mortals
plural
-
a human being.
-
the condition of being subject to death.
adjective
-
(of living beings, esp human beings) subject to death
-
of or involving life or the world
-
ending in or causing death; fatal
a mortal blow
-
deadly or unrelenting
a mortal enemy
-
of or like the fear of death; dire
mortal terror
-
great or very intense
mortal pain
-
possible
there was no mortal reason to go
-
slang long and tedious
for three mortal hours
noun
-
a mortal being
-
informal a person
a mean mortal
Synonym Usage
See fatal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonmortaladjective
-
postmortaladjective
-
premortaladjective
-
unmortaladjective
-
mortallyadverb
-
nonmortallyadverb
-
postmortallyadverb
-
premortallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mortal
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Middle French mortal, mortel, from Latin mortālis, equivalent to mort- (stem of mors ) “death” + -ālis -al 1; see ambrosia ( def. ); murder ( def. ); murther ( def. )
Explanation
You are a mortal because you are mortal. This means that you are an individual destined to die because you are susceptible to death. The word mortal has one of the most ancient genealogies of any word in English or any other language. It is related to English words like "murder" and "mortuary," and to the French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian words for "death." Something that can kill you can also be described as mortal. If you're in mortal danger, you're in a deadly situation. Action heroes often think they are dealing their enemy a mortal blow, but sometimes the enemy manages to come back to life. People are called mortals because at some point, they die.
Vocabulary lists containing mortal
The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Brown Girl Dreaming
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Purple Hibiscus
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Life is measured in mileposts, a steady progression through the rites of passage that delineate the mortal journey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Starring Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea and Maisie Richardson-Sellers, it follows the story of a young woman who can bring spirits into the mortal world but is herself haunted.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
The capacity to feel deeply, especially in the realm of love, is one of the most transcendently human experiences that mortal beings can have.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
When Lestat is made to reckon with what’s presented as “failures” in both his mortal and immortal lives, he can’t quite own up to being a true monster, because that’s not what he really is.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The spirits’ repertoire expanded to include playing guitars and touching mortal hands.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
And unlike us mere mortals, they aren’t afflicted by pesky qualms about their reputation or career, or that queasy feeling in the gut produced by years of social conditioning against lying or ripping people off.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
Can anything we mortals create stand the test of time?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
However, Huppert emphasised the social symbolism of a vampire aristocracy that draws its power by feeding on ordinary mortals.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
AI creators are trying to generate not only thinking, productive entities but ones that blaze past mortals in every respect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Ainsley Braden-Hammerschmidt and Brooke Breckenridge are from a different galaxy than the one mere mortals like me inhabit.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
