lethal
Americanadjective
-
able to cause or causing death
-
of or suggestive of death
Related Words
See fatal.
Other Word Forms
- hyperlethal adjective
- lethality noun
- lethally adverb
- lethalness noun
- nonlethal adjective
- nonlethally adverb
- semilethal adjective
Etymology
Origin of lethal
First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin lētālis, equivalent to lēt(um) “death” + -ālis -al 1; spelling (hence pronunciation) with -h- by association with Greek lḗthē “oblivion”; Lethe ( def. )
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.
Bringing the Geneva Conventions and their prohibition of war crimes into the fight against lethal economic sanctions can raise the legal and political cost of enforcing them.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Higher energy prices have the potential to cause stagflation —a lethal combination of higher inflation and lower growth that would likely undermine businesses’ bottom lines.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
Good thrillers need a villain that is elusive, relentless and lethal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
They would need the approval of two doctors and, while the lethal substance would be provided by a medical professional, it would have to be self-administered by the patient.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
I came up for a second, took a deep breath, and swam for the rock, timing my strokes so I wouldn't be thrown onto the lethal surface.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
