terminally
Americanadverb
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in a way that leads or is expected to lead shortly to death; fatally or lethally.
We offer care and support for terminally ill people and their families through home nursing.
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Informal. in a way that is beyond hope or rescue.
I skipped her much-hyped interview with the terminally dull host of that new talk show.
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at the end.
In the remark “Pretty hot today, eh?” the terminally positioned tag “eh?” invites agreement.
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Botany. at the end of a branch or stem.
The plant has flower clusters 10–20 mm in diameter, which are located terminally.
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Biology. at the conclusion of the process of modification from a stem cell.
The cells terminally differentiate as they migrate from the basal layer of the epidermis to the surface.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of terminally
Explanation
Anything that happens terminally happens at the end of something, which might be a plane ride or someone's life. Terminally describes something at the end, the last call, the big curtain coming down. Since terminal things involve an ending or something that ends, the adverb terminally also refers to endings. Although it’s often sad, as endings are, the word itself has the courtesy to end in –ly so it’s easy to spot as an adverb. Someone terminally ill has a deadly illness. This is a word for endings: after something happens terminally, it's over.
Vocabulary lists containing terminally
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term, termina
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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.
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said "thousands of terminally ill people will continue to suffer against their wishes in their last days and weeks".
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Daily Express has spoken to a terminally ill woman ahead of the vote on assisted dying in the House of Commons on Friday.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
But in 2018 Trump signed the Right to Try Act, which allows terminally ill patients to access certain experimental drugs and immunotherapy treatments that have not received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Tell your doctors, family and friends what you want to happen if you’re terminally ill — and why you want it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Make sure you’re honest about his condition. It’s a tough situation. We don’t want to trick anyone into falling in love with a terminally ill dog. We have to be honest. Okay?”
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
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.
