1
as in deadly
of, relating to, or suggestive of death
his deathly pallor suggested that any attempt to find a pulse would be futile
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
smallpox is one deathly disease that medical science has been able to conquer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of deathly
Despite its deathly reputation, Mount Baldy is oftentimes neither a particularly precarious mountain nor an especially treacherous trail.
—
Outside, 8 Jan. 2026
Despite the deathly dangers of fentanyl contamination, hard drug use has been enjoying record increases in Hollywood and beyond not seen since the hard-partying ’80s.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The deathly avalanche between Camp 2 and Camp 3 always scared me.
—Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 10 Apr. 2025
Californians must rise and reclaim our Golden State from the deathly and devastating grip of endless bureaucratic cancer.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 27 Jan. 2025
For all of those thousands of collegiate Olympians past and present, the roar of the football crowd will be drowned out by the deathly silence of their shuttered programs.
—Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 24 July 2024
Gomez has co-led the Hulu series alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short since its 2021 debut, as a band of neighbors who join forces to solve deathly mysteries unfolding around them.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 17 July 2024
The deathly gossip started as St. Patrick’s Day rumo(u)rs that the BBC was on standby for an announcement from the royal family and government buildings were flying flags at half-mast.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2024
Outside, 8 Jan. 2026
Despite the deathly dangers of fentanyl contamination, hard drug use has been enjoying record increases in Hollywood and beyond not seen since the hard-partying ’80s.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The deathly avalanche between Camp 2 and Camp 3 always scared me.
—Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 10 Apr. 2025
Californians must rise and reclaim our Golden State from the deathly and devastating grip of endless bureaucratic cancer.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 27 Jan. 2025
For all of those thousands of collegiate Olympians past and present, the roar of the football crowd will be drowned out by the deathly silence of their shuttered programs.
—Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 24 July 2024
Gomez has co-led the Hulu series alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short since its 2021 debut, as a band of neighbors who join forces to solve deathly mysteries unfolding around them.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 17 July 2024
The deathly gossip started as St. Patrick’s Day rumo(u)rs that the BBC was on standby for an announcement from the royal family and government buildings were flying flags at half-mast.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deathly
Adjective
-
Martinez and another man were charged in October with assault with a deadly weapon, accused of following the agents' vehicles and initiating the collision with Exum's SUV that led to the shooting on Chicago's south side.—
James Hill,
ABC News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The January 29, 2025, collision was the deadliest commercial aviation accident in the United States in the last 16 years.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Thompson’s original death sentence was later overturned, but a jury again sentenced him to die by lethal injection following a new punishment trial in November 2005.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Thompson, 55, was scheduled to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Crowe will portray a swordsman who mentors Cavill's Highlander, and Bautista will play an antagonistic immortal known as the Kurgen, while Gillan will star as Connor's very mortal wife.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
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Belichick’s and Brady’s greatness and championships did not depend on Spygate, the coach already has paid his punishment for that, and the shrine in Canton, Ohio, is not restricted to mortal deities.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month proved to Carlson and other Minnesotans that the potential for danger as an observer was not abstract.—
Michael Williams,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
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Noem has been under increasing scrutiny following Saturday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal authorities in Minneapolis.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Medics immediately delivered aid, but Pretti was pronounced dead at the site of the shooting.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Medics immediately tried to deliver medical aid to the subject, McLaughlin said, but he was pronounced dead on scene.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deathly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deathly. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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