deathlike
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of deathlike
1540–50; death + -like; compare Old English dēathlīc deathly
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.
But the biggest draw might be the deathlike stench when they open—and people are willing to wait hours to catch a whiff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
If you know anything about Burton’s movies, you know that they tend to feature characters who embody all the qualities of a sickly Victorian-era child: waifish, sunken doe-eye and gaunt faces with a deathlike pallor.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2024
Dr. Janov had practiced psychology for nearly two decades when, during a session, a young patient emitted what Dr. Janov described as a “piercing, deathlike scream.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 4, 2017
Dr. Janov continued, “Finally, he released a piercing, deathlike scream that rattled the walls of my office,” adding: “All he could say afterward was: ‘I made it!
From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 2017
A deathlike silence now hung over both sides of the vast camp.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
