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.
The United Nations rights chief called Friday for answers after a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school, as a media investigation concluded the United States was most likely responsible.
From Barron's
Sri Lanka on Friday denounced the toll of the Mideast fighting, as the nation opened its arms to over 200 Iranian sailors who sought help after a deadly torpedo strike on another of Iran's ships.
From Barron's
Malaria continues to rank among the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide.
From Science Daily
Nepal votes Thursday for a new parliament, six months after deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government -- a high-stakes showdown between an entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement.
From Barron's
The disaster was the deadliest for the Argentine navy in peacetime.
From Barron's
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.
