DEATHBLOW Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

deathblow

noun

Definition of deathblow

as in confutation

Related Words

Relevance

as in calamity

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 deathblow So why shouldn’t Trump exploit that fragility to land a death blow against a murderous adversary? — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026 And in January the administration delivered a death blow to a program that was meant to deploy backup solar and storage systems at hospitals and at 30,000 homes of rural, low-income and medically vulnerable people, according to Latitude Media. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026 In September, those plans were dealt a death blow when the city council approved amending the municipal zoning code to prohibit timesharing in single-family homes. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2025 In the view of the movie theater industry trade association Cinema United, the deal — which is still pending regulatory approval and would not go into effect until Q3 next year — represents a death blow to multiplexes. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deathblow

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deathblow

Noun

Nominalism and positivism have deluged the world with vast quantities of little-read scholarship whose underlying rationale is often the confutation of the very possibility of the larger-scale intelligibility of the world.

— M. D. Aeschliman, National Review, 20 Feb. 2022

Definition of confutation

Noun

Young Pavi and her twin sister, Nisha, live in a world that no longer sees the Avatar as humanity’s savior after it was devastated by a calamity.

— Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
The flooding in Nepal is yet another calamity for a country grimly accustomed to crisis and upheaval.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of calamity

Noun

The 49ers, an otherwise good team, have for the past couple of months been weaving and slipping bad news like a boxer trying to avoid a knockout punch.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Itauma was 14-0 with 12 wins by knockout; eight of his stoppage victories had come in the first round, and 11 within two rounds.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of knockout

Noun

Hundreds of Denver comics also performed there, with nationally touring acts such as Ben Roy and Andrew Orvedahl (Cayton-Holland’s Grawlix partners) and crushers such as Josh Blue, Janae Burris, Troy Walker, and Christie Buchele.

— John Wenzel, Denver Post, 16 July 2026
Adventure bikes have ballooned into 600-pound continent crushers.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 July 2026

Definition of crusher

Noun

Summary Coastal and high-risk hotels face soaring insurance premiums, up 45-100%, as natural catastrophe losses escalate.

— Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
That didn’t stop catastrophes like the 2018 fire in the Sierra foothills that destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of catastrophe

Noun

The highlights included scoring the overtime winner in HK Nitra’s Game 7 championship clincher and leading Slovakia’s World Juniors team in both goals (five) and points (eight).

— Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Adding to Rezaeian’s agony, right before the final whistle another potential clincher, a header from Khalilzadeh, hit the crossbar.

— Sean Gregory, Time, 28 June 2026

Definition of clincher

Noun

The accident was one of the Portuguese capital’s worst tragedies in recent memory and cast a shadow over the city’s ongoing tourism boom.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
These days, the existential challenges faced by newspapers across the country sound more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a comedy.

— Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of tragedy

Browse Nearby Words

death's-heads

deathblow

deathblows

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Deathblow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deathblow. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of deathblow

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes