life-threatening
Americanadjective
Explanation
Something life-threatening is seriously dangerous, and it might even result in death. If someone has a life-threatening illness, it's severe enough that they may need to be hospitalized. You can reassure your mom about the injuries you got when you were hiking up a mountain by saying, "Don't worry, my sprained ankle isn't life-threatening." In other words, it's not going to kill you. Things that are more likely to be life-threatening include cancer, bad head injuries, and run-ins with grizzly bears — they can indeed threaten your life.
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.
An in-person doctor’s visit is the only reliable way to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy—a life-threatening condition in which an embryo implants outside the uterus.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Sepsis, which can be life-threatening and is difficult to spot, is an emergency reaction to infection where the immune system overcompensates and damages tissues and organs.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
Eighteen percent reported that it led to a life-threatening event or required an intervention to prevent permanent harm.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
Two of the doctors failed to properly intervene as a pregnant teenager repeatedly sought care for life-threatening complications, the board found.
From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026
That is, perhaps, why they find it difficult to survive in life-threatening situations.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
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.
