lethal

[lee-thuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lethal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or causing death; deadly; fatal: a lethal weapon; a lethal dose.

made or carried out to cause death: a lethal chamber; a lethal attack.

causing great harm or destruction: The disclosures were lethal to his candidacy.

Origin of lethal

1575–85; < Latin lētālis, equivalent to lēt(um) death + -ālis -al¹; spelling (hence pronunciation) with -h- by association with Greek lḗthē oblivion

Related formsle·thal·i·ty, le·thal·ness, nounle·thal·ly, adverbhy·per·le·thal, adjectivenon·le·thal, adjectivenon·le·thal·ly, adverbsem·i·le·thal, adjective

Synonyms for lethal

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lethal ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See fatal.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lethal

mortal, destructive, murderous, noxious, dangerous, poisonous, devastating, pernicious, harmful, malignant, virulent, fatal, baleful, deathly, hurtful, mortuary, pestilent, pestilential, mortiferous, necrotic

Examples from the Web for lethal

Contemporary Examples of lethal

But others say a still-unidentified man likely fired the round that caused a lethal head wound.
Exclusive: Bin Laden ‘Shooter’ Under Investigation for Leaking Secrets
Shane Harris
December 23, 2014
After World War I, unions began their losing and lethal battle with textile owners across the South.
Glenn Beck Is Now Selling Hipster Clothes. Really.
Ana Marie Cox
December 20, 2014
Servin is a rarity: A cop who is being tried for his lethal actions.
Chicago’s Cops Don’t Even Get Investigated for Shooting People in the Back
Justin Glawe
December 5, 2014
Here are just a few of the most egregious uses of lethal force by Chicago police.
Chicago’s Cops Don’t Even Get Investigated for Shooting People in the Back
Justin Glawe
December 5, 2014
“Here the implementation of lethal force was a reasonable response under the circumstances,” she said.
Worse Than Eric Garner: Cops Who Got Away With Killing Autistic Men and Little Girls
Emily Shire
December 4, 2014

Historical Examples of lethal

He'd destroyed the lethal bacterial cultures they'd been ordered to dump on Weald.
Pariah Planet
Murray Leinster
It was almost as if he had emerged from the lethal presence of the fumigator itself.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic
How long had they been under the influence of the lethal stuff?
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, March 1930
Various
In desperation, Taber fired at the lethal fist that held the weapon.
Ten From Infinity
Paul W. Fairman
History is full of cruel tragedies caused by the lethal sex.
Love Among the Chickens
P. G. Wodehouse

British Dictionary definitions for lethal

lethal

adjective

able to cause or causing death

of or suggestive of death

Derived Formslethality (liːˈθælɪtɪ), nounlethally, adverb

Word Origin for lethal

C16: from Latin lēthālis, from lētum death

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lethal

adj.

1580s, from Late Latin lethalis, alteration of Latin letalis "deadly, fatal," from letum "death," of uncertain origin. Form altered in Late Latin by association with lethe hydor "water of oblivion" in Hades in Greek mythology, from Greek lethe "forgetfulness."

lethal in Medicine

lethal

[lē′thəl]

adj.

Capable of causing death.

Of, relating to, or causing death.