deadlier; deadliest
1
: likely to cause or capable of producing death
deadly poison
2
a
: aiming to kill or destroy : implacable
a deadly enemy
b
: highly effective
a deadly exposé
c
: unerring
a deadly marksman
d
: marked by determination or extreme seriousness
3
a
: tending to deprive of force or vitality
a deadly habit
b
: suggestive of death especially in dullness or lack of animation
deadly bores
a deadly conversation
4
: very great : extreme
deadliness
noun
Synonyms
Adjective
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- jolly
- majorly
- mightily
- mighty
- monstrous [chiefly dialect]
- mortally
- most
- much
- particularly
- passing
- rattling
- real
- really
- right
- roaring
- roaringly
- seriously
- severely
- so
- sore
- sorely
- spanking
- specially
- stinking
- such
- super
- supremely
- surpassingly
- terribly
- that
- thumping
- too
- unco
- uncommonly
- vastly
- very
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
Examples of deadly in a Sentence
Adjective
the world's most deadly snake
a more deadly form of the disease
They launched a deadly attack.
Officers are allowed to use deadly force if necessary.
She shoots with deadly accuracy.
a basketball player with deadly aim
A deadly silence followed his question.
The two gang leaders are deadly enemies.
He spoke with deadly seriousness.
Adverb
I'm deadly serious about making an offer on the house.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jacklyn Krol, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2024
Janet Garcia, 27, from Everett, Washington, who was arrested March 29, has been charged with first-degree murder, domestic violence with a deadly weapon, and aggravated domestic violence with the circumstance of a vulnerable victim.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024
The doc follows three couples entwined in the world of base jumping, one of the world’s deadliest sports.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024
The majority of the bullfrogs carry a deadly chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), responsible for the extinction of more than 100 amphibian species worldwide in recent years.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
The existential conflict surrounding PEN America—the letters and counter-letters, withdrawals and statements of principle—captures the enormous rupture on the left since Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel on October 7 and Israel’s deadly response in Gaza.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
First responders rush to the scene of daily strikes, despite deadly loss that has touched their ranks, even their own families.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
One arrest was made for assault with a deadly weapon, though the department did not say what the weapon was.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024
The city had seen 51 homicides by this time last year, the deadliest year in recorded history.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to complications and turn deadly, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to complications and turn deadly, according to the CDC.
—Mira Cheng, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
About 10 minutes later, the spree turned deadly, police said.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
Pakistan launches deadly airstrikes in Iran Pakistan’s air force launched retaliatory airstrikes in Iran Thursday, killing at least nine people two days after Iran struck at separatist camps in Pakistan.
—Spencer Elliott, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
Some of the appointments — filmed on bare sets in clean, flat close-up, an aesthetic choice that stresses both their separation from reality and their plain emotional stakes — unfold in deadly earnest.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Jan. 2024
Texas wildfires turn deadly and keep growing Wildfires in the Texas Panhandle turned deadly, as officials in the city of Borger confirmed one death yesterday afternoon.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024
The High Desert State Prison investigative services unit, the CDCR deadly force investigation team and the Lassen County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the incident.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Adam's formal charges were three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of carrying a dirk or dagger.
—Jacklyn Krol, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2024
Janet Garcia, 27, from Everett, Washington, who was arrested March 29, has been charged with first-degree murder, domestic violence with a deadly weapon, and aggravated domestic violence with the circumstance of a vulnerable victim.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024
The doc follows three couples entwined in the world of base jumping, one of the world’s deadliest sports.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024
The majority of the bullfrogs carry a deadly chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), responsible for the extinction of more than 100 amphibian species worldwide in recent years.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
The existential conflict surrounding PEN America—the letters and counter-letters, withdrawals and statements of principle—captures the enormous rupture on the left since Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel on October 7 and Israel’s deadly response in Gaza.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
First responders rush to the scene of daily strikes, despite deadly loss that has touched their ranks, even their own families.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
One arrest was made for assault with a deadly weapon, though the department did not say what the weapon was.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024
The city had seen 51 homicides by this time last year, the deadliest year in recorded history.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Under the deadly threatening eye of Baretzki, Lali and Gita commit themselves to surviving Auschwitz and spending the rest of their lives together in the limited drama series.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to complications and turn deadly, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to complications and turn deadly, according to the CDC.
—Mira Cheng, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
About 10 minutes later, the spree turned deadly, police said.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
Pakistan launches deadly airstrikes in Iran Pakistan’s air force launched retaliatory airstrikes in Iran Thursday, killing at least nine people two days after Iran struck at separatist camps in Pakistan.
—Spencer Elliott, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
Some of the appointments — filmed on bare sets in clean, flat close-up, an aesthetic choice that stresses both their separation from reality and their plain emotional stakes — unfold in deadly earnest.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Jan. 2024
Texas wildfires turn deadly and keep growing Wildfires in the Texas Panhandle turned deadly, as officials in the city of Borger confirmed one death yesterday afternoon.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024
The High Desert State Prison investigative services unit, the CDCR deadly force investigation team and the Lassen County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the incident.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deadly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deadly
Cite this Entry
“Deadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadly. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deadly
2 of 2 adverb1
: suggesting death
deadly pale
2
: to a very great degree
deadly dull
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