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.
London Ambulance Service said it has recorded its highest ever number of life-threatening emergencies as temperatures soared across the capital "driven by the extreme heat" across the capital.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
State investigators said in a report released last week that the camp wasn’t prepared for the disaster, didn’t have a written flood evacuation plan and said some senior leaders ignored life-threatening weather warnings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026
The mystery patient reportedly needs retatrutide to treat obesity, sleep apnea, and pulmonary hypertension—a potentially life-threatening condition Trump hasn’t admitted to having.
From Slate • Jun. 23, 2026
He announced "the tragic loss of 13 lives of our people who hold Indian and Pakistani nationalities. 66 people have been reported injured and are receiving medical treatment, none of whom are in life-threatening condition".
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
The eight-man expedition was pinned down in a ferocious blizzard high on K2, waiting to make an assault on the summit, when a team member named Art Gilkey developed thrombophlebitis, a life-threatening altitude-induced blood clot.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
