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dead·ly | \ ˈded-lē 
\
\deadlier; deadliest
Definition of deadly
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : likely to cause or capable of producing death
deadly poison
2a : 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
3a : 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
deadly
adverbDefinition of deadly (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for deadly
Synonyms: Adjective
Synonyms: Adverb
- achingly,
- almighty,
- archly,
- awful,
- awfully,
- badly,
- beastly,
- blisteringly,
- bone,
- colossally,
- corking,
- cracking,
- damn,
- damned,
- dang,
- desperately,
- eminently,
- enormously,
- especially,
- ever,
- exceedingly
- (also 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
Antonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Adverb
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Even before a deadly virus struck, working at a meatpacking plant could be fatal.
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USA Today, "Cheap chicken, beef came at a cost. How American meat plants bred coronavirus hot spots.," 22 May 2020 Yet a number of workers have been sent home to be quarantined after potential exposure to the deadly virus in the plant, which some workers say is unsettling.
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Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "Assembly worker concerns delay shift start at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant," 21 May 2020 After all, as Dilley might say, better to infect the people around you with a deadly virus than to risk looking like a dork.
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Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Garcia: Anti-mask movement won’t let logic get in its way," 20 May 2020 The Vallejo facility marks the latest congregate care setting to be ravaged by the deadly virus.
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Anna Bauman, SFChronicle.com, "Eleven residents dead in Vallejo nursing home outbreak, more than 130 infected," 18 May 2020 Bodies piled up and fear took over as a deadly virus invaded.
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Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, "Age of Resistance: How a virus riled up Michigan and spawned a rebellion," 17 May 2020 From a broader social perspective, such a pill would be even more valuable, because any treatment that prevents you from getting sick also prevents you from passing the deadly virus on to others.
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Justin Wolfers, New York Times, "G.D.P. Doesn’t Credit Social Distancing, but It Should," 14 May 2020 The deadly virus outbreaks at senior communities throughout the country is expected to be front of mind for seniors and their families when deciding whether to move out of their homes.
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Peter Grant, WSJ, "Senior-Housing Communities Face Higher Vacancy Rates Amid Coronavirus," 12 May 2020 The deadly incident is reminiscent of the 1984 Bhopal disaster, when a gas leak at a pesticide plant killed nearly 4,000 people in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
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Vedika Sud, Swati Gupta And Julia Hollingsworth, CNN, "India gas leak prompts investigation and evacuations in Visakhapatnam," 8 May 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb The racist killings were Germany's third deadly far-right attack in recent months.
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Fox News, "Thousands mourn victims of Germany shooting massacre with massive march," 24 Feb. 2020 The racist killings were Germany’s third deadly far-right attack in a matter of months.
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Time, "10,000 Protesters Mourn 9 People Killed by Immigrant-Hating Shooter in Germany," 23 Feb. 2020 During one particularly deadly seven-day period in April, the coronavirus killed more than 50,000 (see chart).
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The Economist, "Daily chart Covid-19 has become one of the biggest killers of 2020," 1 May 2020 As many have already noted, this macabre roll call reflects the fact that African-Americans are more likely to have preëxisting health conditions that make the coronavirus particularly deadly.
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Keeanga-yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, "The Black Plague," 16 Apr. 2020 Often, the virus doesn't start out feeling deadly, said Katrina Hawkins, an intensive care doctor at George Washington University Hospital in the District of Columbia.
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Author: Chris Mooney, Sarah Kaplan, Brady Dennis, Anchorage Daily News, "All across the United States, the coronavirus is killing more men than women, data show," 4 Apr. 2020 With a disease that’s highly infectious and can turn deadly, this epidemic violates a sense of control in fundamental ways.
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Time, "Why People Are Panic Buying as Coronavirus Spreads," 10 Mar. 2020 The company has had several accidents during the past year, although this is the first to turn deadly.
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Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, "Pilot joined Yute Commuter Service a month before crash that left 5 dead in Southwest Alaska," 26 Feb. 2020 Tough, diligent, and deadly serious about the history of art, Krasner might have been the most intelligent of the painters who convinced the world in the late 1940s that New York had displaced Paris as the epicenter of modern art.
—
Jason Farago, New York Times, "Lee Krasner, Hiding in Plain Sight," 19 Aug. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deadly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for deadly
deadly
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of deadly
(Entry 1 of 2)
: causing or able to cause death
: extremely accurate and effective
: extreme or complete
deadly
adverbEnglish Language Learners Definition of deadly (Entry 2 of 2)
: extremely or completely
See the full definition for deadly in the English Language Learners Dictionary
deadly
adjectivedead·ly | \ ˈded-lē \
\deadlier; deadliest
Kids Definition of deadly
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : causing or capable of causing death
deadly poisons
2 : meaning or hoping to kill or destroy
deadly enemies
3 : very accurate
He shot the arrow with deadly aim.
deadly
adverbKids Definition of deadly (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : in a way suggestive of death
Her face was deadly pale.
2 : to an extreme degree
deadly dull
deadly
adjectivedead·ly | \ ˈded-lē \
\deadlier; deadliest
Medical Definition of deadly
: likely to cause or capable of causing death
a deadly disease a deadly poison a deadly instrument
Other Words from deadly
deadliness \ -nəs \ noun
\ nounKeep scrolling for more
deadly
adjectivedead·ly
deadlier; deadliest
Legal Definition of deadly
: likely to cause or capable of causing death also : dangerous sense 2
Note: Deadly and dangerous are sometimes used interchangeably, especially in connection with weapons or instruments.
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Time Traveler for deadly
The first known use of deadly was before the 12th century
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