Synonyms of death

death

noun

ˈdeth 

1

as in demise

the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities

we were all saddened by the death of our friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demise
• fate
• passing
• doom
• dissolution
• decease
• grave
• suicide
• expiration
• end
• sleep
• exit
• assassination
• passage
• destruction
• curtains
• fatality
• expiry
• quietus
• martyrdom
• great divide
• casualty
• ending
• execution
• annihilation
• killing
• slaughter
• extermination
• massacre
• self-murder
• self-destruction
• self-slaughter
• ruin

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• birth
• life
• existence
• nativity
• creation
• rise
• genesis
• origination

2

as in mortality

the state of being dead

death is one of the few constants in the universe

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mortality
• dead
• deadness
• grave
• sleep
• nothingness
• lifelessness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• life
• existence
• immortality
• lifetime
• lifespan

3

as in dissolution

the act of ceasing to exist

the death of the Soviet economic system in the wake of the breakup of the USSR

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demise
• dissolution
• termination
• destruction
• expiration
• cessation
• dispersion
• ending
• expiry
• suicide
• passing
• end
• decease
• doom
• conclusion
• close
• discontinuance
• shutdown
• stoppage
• annihilation
• lapse
• halt
• finish
• stop
• ruin
• surcease
• shutoff
• quietus

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• birth
• beginning
• creation
• morning
• onset
• start
• commencement
• existence
• dawn
• inception
• outset
• genesis
• launch
• alpha
• prolongation
• persistence
• incipiency
• incipience
• initiation
• institution
• inauguration
• origination

4

as in downfall

something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life

that muscle car will be the death of him yet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• downfall
• destruction
• kiss of death
• undoing
• curse
• ruination
• ruin
• torment
• bane
• tragic flaw
• Achilles' heel

5

as in massacre

the killing of a large number of people

thousands of soldiers were lost on the field of death

Synonyms & Similar Words

• massacre
• slaughter
• carnage
• genocide
• murder
• mortality
• butchery
• bloodbath
• holocaust
• slaying
• killing
• bloodshed
• manslaughter
• extermination
• destruction
• annihilation
• devastation
• execution
• homicide
• assassination
• decimation
• bloodletting
• eradication
• pogrom
• foul play
• demolishing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of death

His former coach, Ray Lamb, delivered the news before his death last month. — Sam Crenshaw, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

The other was a man helping organize the fair who had experienced an eerily similar brush with death once before. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026

Amid skyrocketing measles cases, historic death counts, and dropping vaccination rates, public health messaging on the virus often emphasizes its potential harms. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026

Thomas is anxious, but with death looming, Vision finally nails the conversation he’s been practicing by investing it with real emotion, conviction, and support. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing death

• death grip
• kiss of death
• to death