lethal

[ lee-thuhl ]
/ ˈli θəl /
SEE 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.

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Origin of lethal

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin lētālis, equivalent to lēt(um) “death” + -ālis -al1; spelling (hence pronunciation) with -h- by association with Greek lḗthē “oblivion”; see Lethe

synonym study for lethal

1. See fatal.

OTHER WORDS FROM lethal

Words nearby lethal

let drop, let fly, let go, let grass grow, Letha, lethal, lethal chamber, lethal dose, lethal factor, lethal gene, lethal midline granuloma
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to lethal

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

Example sentences from the Web for lethal

British Dictionary definitions for lethal

lethal
/ (ˈliːθəl) /

adjective

able to cause or causing death
of or suggestive of death

Derived forms of lethal

lethality (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

Medical definitions for lethal

lethal
[ lē′thəl ]

adj.

Capable of causing death.
Of, relating to, or causing death.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.