mortal
Americanadjective
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subject to death; having a transitory life.
all mortal creatures.
-
of or relating to human beings as subject to death; human.
this mortal life.
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belonging to this world.
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deadly or implacable; relentless.
a mortal enemy.
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severe, dire, grievous, or bitter.
in mortal fear.
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causing or liable to cause death; fatal.
a mortal wound.
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to the death.
mortal combat.
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of or relating to death.
the mortal hour.
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involving spiritual death (opposed to venial).
mortal sin.
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long and wearisome.
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extreme; very great.
in a mortal hurry.
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conceivable; possible.
of no mortal value to the owners.
noun
-
mortals
plural
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a human being.
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the condition of being subject to death.
adjective
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(of living beings, esp human beings) subject to death
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of or involving life or the world
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ending in or causing death; fatal
a mortal blow
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deadly or unrelenting
a mortal enemy
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of or like the fear of death; dire
mortal terror
-
great or very intense
mortal pain
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possible
there was no mortal reason to go
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slang long and tedious
for three mortal hours
noun
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a mortal being
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informal a person
a mean mortal
Synonym Usage
See fatal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonmortaladjective
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postmortaladjective
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premortaladjective
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unmortaladjective
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mortallyadverb
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nonmortallyadverb
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postmortallyadverb
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premortallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mortal
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Middle French mortal, mortel, from Latin mortālis, equivalent to mort- (stem of mors ) “death” + -ālis -al 1; see ambrosia ( def. ); murder ( def. ); murther ( def. )
Explanation
You are a mortal because you are mortal. This means that you are an individual destined to die because you are susceptible to death. The word mortal has one of the most ancient genealogies of any word in English or any other language. It is related to English words like "murder" and "mortuary," and to the French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian words for "death." Something that can kill you can also be described as mortal. If you're in mortal danger, you're in a deadly situation. Action heroes often think they are dealing their enemy a mortal blow, but sometimes the enemy manages to come back to life. People are called mortals because at some point, they die.
Vocabulary lists containing mortal
The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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Purple Hibiscus
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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.
See Examples For:
The movie, starring Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea and Maisie Richardson-Sellers, follows the story of a young woman who can bring spirits into the mortal world but is herself haunted.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
During his early days as an assistant at Barcelona, he took mortal offense to being known as “The Translator”—though one of his primary duties did involve repeating his English manager’s instructions in Spanish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The capacity to feel deeply, especially in the realm of love, is one of the most transcendently human experiences that mortal beings can have.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Grantchester” may be ending, but “Father Brown” endures because its homilies champion the belief that good exists in everybody, even in the hearts of those who commit mortal sin.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
“You question my talents? A half-dead mortal straggles into my swamp and questions my talents?”
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
“Orville and I concluded that mortals should not own land like this,” Niman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
However, Huppert emphasised the social symbolism of a vampire aristocracy that draws its power by feeding on ordinary mortals.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
AI creators are trying to generate not only thinking, productive entities but ones that blaze past mortals in every respect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
There’s a wicked irony in micromanaging your entire life on Earth only to croak and have your soul potentially jettisoned to some formless state of being, entirely unknown to mere mortals.
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025
“We live alongside mortals, do we not?” he asks me.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
