deadly
Americanadjective
-
causing or tending to cause death; fatal; lethal.
a deadly poison.
-
aiming to kill or destroy; implacable.
a deadly enemy.
-
like death.
a deadly pallor.
-
excruciatingly boring.
The dinner party was absolutely deadly.
-
deadly haste.
-
extremely accurate.
Annie Oakley was a deadly shot.
adverb
-
in a manner resembling or suggesting death.
deadly pale.
-
excessively; completely.
deadly dull.
adjective
-
likely to cause death
deadly poison
deadly combat
-
informal extremely boring
adverb
Related Words
See fatal.
Other Word Forms
- deadliness noun
- nondeadly adjective
Etymology
Origin of deadly
First recorded before 900; Middle English deedli(ch), Old English dēadlīce; dead, -ly
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.
Only a Mars landing ranks lower, while monitoring for deadly asteroids and measuring climate change are top priorities among Americans.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
In a March 2025 travel advisory, the US State Department warned of potentially deadly boating issues in the Bahamas.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Damburger survived the deadly 2018 Carr fire that took out a swath of west Redding, burning within two miles of the restaurant.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
They noted that Cuba's government allowed an FBI team to visit Cuba last week to conduct an independent investigation into a deadly shooting involving a US-registered boat.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
The wolf pulled back its lips in a snarl, revealing its deadly teeth.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions 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.
