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
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
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
However, fewer than five minutes into Casten’s address, a protester with a megaphone stood up and shouted frustrations about U.S. military assistance to Israel in its deadly attacks on Gaza residents during their war with Hamas.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2025
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2025
But in their day, Wolff and Anslinger were crusaders, deadly serious and not about to let facts get in the way of their opinions.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadly
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
As tensions between India and Pakistan reach a boiling point following a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly offered Tehran's assistance in mediating the crisis.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
However, fewer than five minutes into Casten’s address, a protester with a megaphone stood up and shouted frustrations about U.S. military assistance to Israel in its deadly attacks on Gaza residents during their war with Hamas.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2025
Adverb
Those are interesting fun facts about world geography, but in the real world, the Trump tariffs are deadly serious and so are the responses from our global trading partners, from China to Europe to our closest neighbors.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2025
But in their day, Wolff and Anslinger were crusaders, deadly serious and not about to let facts get in the way of their opinions.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadly
Cite this Entry
“Deadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadly. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deadly
2 of 2 adverb1
: suggesting death
deadly pale
2
: to a very great degree
deadly dull
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