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.
-
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 (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
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a human being.
-
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
-
ending in or causing death; fatal
a mortal blow
-
deadly or unrelenting
a mortal enemy
-
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
-
a mortal being
-
informal a person
a mean mortal
Related Words
See fatal.
Other Word Forms
- mortally adverb
- nonmortal adjective
- nonmortally adverb
- postmortal adjective
- postmortally adverb
- premortal adjective
- premortally adverb
- unmortal adjective
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; ambrosia ( def. ); murder ( def. ); murther ( 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.
Villagers in Bahraich say they now live in mortal fear of the wolves lurking near their homes.
From Barron's
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
That may have been the moment when he realised these MPs had not come equipped for mortal combat.
From BBC
Truly, the only question he might legitimately have about his fate after shuffling off this mortal coil is which of Dante’s circles of hell he has rightfully earned.
From Salon
“Normally, I’m like, ‘I don’t want to do that,’” says Jackman, over Zoom from a New York hotel room, as if he’s confessing a mortal sin.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
