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as in doomed
facing certain defeat, disaster, or death if we don't finish this project on time, we're dead

Synonyms & Similar Words

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dead

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adverb

dead

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noun

as in death
the state of being dead it's impossible to raise someone from the dead

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dead contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dead are deceased, defunct, departed, and late. While all these words mean "devoid of life," dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

How does the word deceased relate to other synonyms for dead?

Deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. Deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

When is it sensible to use defunct instead of dead?

The words defunct and dead are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

Where would departed be a reasonable alternative to dead?

The synonyms departed and dead are sometimes interchangeable, but departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

When might late be a better fit than dead?

Although the words late and dead have much in common, late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dead
Adjective
Namely, anyone who lives there ends up dead. Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2025 The two girls were found dead on the roof of a J train that was coming into the Marcy Avenue station in New York City, the news outlet reported. Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
Adverb
One road rage instance left a Dearborn Heights teen dead earlier this year. Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 23 Sep. 2025 Leoni’s brother, John, broke in to find their mother dead inside. Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
Later that night, someone stole five chickens from the park and left a sixth dead. Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2025 Russia takes great pride in the many giant cemeteries honoring the over 20 million Soviet dead lost in WWII, known as the Great Patriot War. David Hambling, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dead
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead
Adjective
  • Zelda went on to denounce a growing trend on social media, where people use AI-generators to create videos of deceased celebrities, her father included.
    Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
  • All 48 hostages, living and deceased — only 20 are believed to be alive — would be returned within 72 hours of both sides publicly accepting the agreement.
    Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The episodes feel choppy, hardly letting anything land, yet still feeling slow.
    Grace Byron, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The crowd, quietening into a slow clap with the moment building, burst into a celebration.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • More pertinently, if Iroegbunam or Gueye tired or did not screen passes correctly (shown below), Rogers and Emiliano Buendia had huge spaces to receive and turn, owing to Everton’s deep centre-backs refusing to step out.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • If tired, float or tread water until out of the rip current.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Get Down with Dinos For fans of quirky roadside attractions, a visit to Dinosaur Land in nearby White Post is an absolute must.
    Erin Gifford, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Achieving a 34 percent reduction in absolute emissions from the company’s FY20 baseline.
    Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Penile-inversion surgery is rumored to render the tissue numb.
    Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025
  • So, like, the top of my ass, that skin part is numb.
    Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Types Of Chocolate Cosmos Until relatively recently, chocolate cosmos was thought to be extinct in the wild and the only available plants were produced through cuttings and root (tuber) divisions.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • In the Mendip Hills of southwestern England, a pine marten, considered locally extinct for over 100 years, was caught on a trail camera.
    Real-Time News team, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • To determine whether a branch is dead or just dormant, scrape some of the bark away.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Once the bulb has gone dormant and all the foliage has died down, carefully dig the bulb or tuber out of the ground.
    Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In April, Gumrukcu’s lavish life came crashing back to reality when he was found guilty of orchestrating a deadly hit on a former business partner who threatened to unveil the slippery Los Angeles businessman’s fraudulent past.
    Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
  • What started as a joyful dance party on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah suddenly became one of the first targets and deadliest sites of a surprise terror attack by Hamas.
    Gaby Vinick, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.

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