deadly Definition
deadly (ded′lē)
adjective -·lier, -·li·est
- causing death or likely to cause death a deadly poison
- to the death; mortal or implacable deadly combat, deadly enemies
- typical of death deadly pallor
- very harmful; destructive
- extreme or excessive deadly silence
- out-and-out; utter with deadly gravity
- oppressively tiresome a deadly bore
- perfectly accurate deadly aim
- Theol. causing spiritual death the seven deadly sins
adverb -·lier, -·li·est
- in a way suggestive of death to lie deadly still
- extremely or excessively deadly serious
deadly Related Forms
deadly Synonyms
deadly
modif.
Causing death
fatal, lethal, murderous, mortal, deathly, poisonous, toxic, homicidal, bloody, noxious, destructive, venomous, deleterious, baleful, malignant, terminal, virulent, injurious, pestilential, pestiferous, death-dealing, carcinogenic, suicidal, bloodthirsty, cannibalistic, life-threatening, killing, baneful, pernicious, harmful, violent, inevitable; see also dangerous 2, destructive 2.Antonyms
healthful*, reviving, beneficial. * Very tiresome
deadly is applied to a thing that can and probably (but not inevitably) will cause death a deadly poison; fatal implies the inevitability or actual occurrence of death or disaster a fatal disease, a fatal mistake; mortal implies that death has occurred or is about to occur and is applied to the immediate cause of death he has received a mortal blow; lethal is applied to that which in its nature or purpose is a cause of death a lethal weapon, a lethal dose
deadly Usage Examples
Modifies a noun
- poison: He was told to use Black Leaf 40 ( a deadly poison ) to kill Castro.
- nightshade: Tomato sauce: the tomato plant, a relative of deadly nightshade, originated in the Andes.
- sin: The very first winner, Bruce Morton, landed a series on the seven deadly sins.
- foe: The action will coincide with an exhibition at the gallery looking at local stories of heroes taking on deadly foes.
- peril: He has delivered us from such a deadly peril.
- virus: Should deadly viruses be used to treat cystic fibrosis?
Modifying Another Word
- potentially: Perhaps the most severe and potentially deadly of the limitations is CNS oxygen toxicity.
- sometimes: And that combination can be dangerous, and sometimes deadly.
- extremely: They are cheaper and easier to produce than nuclear weapons and they are, as we know, extremely deadly.
- so: See how Jesse and Tulip first met as well as how she became so deadly proficient with a gun.
- particularly: Anthrax, for instance, is not a particularly deadly germ, but it sounds mean.
- increasingly: And the choice of weapons was becoming increasingly deadly.
Used with adjective complement
- prove: Pop ups fished just under the surface also continue to prove deadly with a number of fish falling to such tactics.
- become: The event becomes more deadly than it's supposed to.
- look: Some were trying to get up, while others looked deadly still.
- get: And when someone holds her hamster to ransom, things look like they're getting deadly.
Preposition: in
front: We just need to be a bit more deadly in front of goal.
Preposition: of
sin: Only then can this deadliest of sins be absolved.
Preposition: for
people: So it seems, from reading the Angioma Alliance discussion mailing list that Aspirin and Ibuprofen are deadly for people with cavernomas.
Preposition: than
male: For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
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