lethality

American  

[lee-thal-i-tee] / liˈθæl ɪ ti /

Also lethalness

noun

1. the capacity to cause great harm, destruction, or death.

   Many pathogens are self-limited by their own lethality—the host dies before it has a chance to spread the pathogen.

2. the likelihood of causing great harm, destruction, or death.

   Mutations can increase or decrease lethality, but most viruses mutate to less lethal forms.

3. death.

   Prion diseases, such as so-called “mad cow,” are characterized by neurodegeneration and lethality.

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Etymology

Origin of lethality

lethal ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lethality

Every dollar appropriated, he added, would be used to build the "lethality" of US military forces and "reinforce peace through strength".

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

That surge in lethality underscores the potency of the high-tech but cheaply made drones.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026

"This strain has a very high lethality rate which can reach 50 percent."

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

This type of vulnerability is known as synthetic lethality, a principle already used in several targeted cancer treatments.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 27, 2025

Although, by then, technological advances to conventional military capabilities seemed to be approaching the destructive power, or more precisely, the system lethality of nuclear weapons.

From Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance by Wade, James P.