KILLER Synonyms: 201 Similar and Opposite Words

killer 1 of 2

noun

ˈki-lər

Definition of killer

as in headache

a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work weeding out that overgrown garden is going to be a killer

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in murderer

a person who kills another person gunned down by hired killers

Synonyms & Similar Words

killer

2 of 2

adjective

as in lethal

likely to cause or capable of causing death killer viruses that claimed millions of lives

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort a killer exercise program guaranteed to whip you into shape

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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 killer

Noun

Nearly 30 years ago, rap superstar Tupac Shakur was headed to an afterparty in Las Vegas when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting, his unknown killers speeding away from the scene in a white Cadillac. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 The victim’s ex-wife, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Damaris, slammed accused killer’s self-defense claim. — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026 Frykowski and Folger had escaped out of the front of the house, but the killers caught up with them and stabbed each of them to death, leaving their bodies on the lawn. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 Police arrested her killer, then-37-year-old Jeremy Tremaine Williams, that same day. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for killer

Recent Examples of Synonyms for killer

Noun

Martínez was a headache to both pitchers, hitting a grand slam against Sandlin and finishing with a career-high six RBIs as the Guardians defeated the Sox 8-2.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
This lounge set will give you one less headache on travel day.

— Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of headache

Adjective

Establishing that sense of familiarity requires time spent playing and training together, something made more difficult by a constant carousel of new signings.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Nugraha said difficult terrain has complicated efforts, with some hotspots located on steep volcanic slopes that are difficult to reach by land.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of difficult

Noun

The current four-week running average for claims is the lowest since 2022 — the height of the post-pandemic job boom.

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Gary hasn’t been tremendously present around the Raiders since Klint got the job — this was his first public appearance at a practice.

— Sam Warren, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of job

Noun

Sharlto Copley brings ferocious life to his role as an assassin, setting a record in the process for the most times one person can have his head explode in a single film.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
Created by Tessa Coates, Ride Or Die centers on an assassin, Judith (Waddingham), whose best friend of more than 20 years, MP’s wife Debbie (Spencer), is pulled into her latest case.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of assassin

Adjective

Davis was charged with murder with the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.

— Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Attacks on Wildberries’ warehouses last month killed at least eight people in a single day which, up until Monday’s strike on Nizhnekamsk, was the deadliest Ukrainian attack inside Russia.

— Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of deadly

Adjective

Enforcing the new ordinance is not as challenging as critics charge, Boone said.

— Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
In Tony, Bourdain not only flees to Provincetown to follow Nancy, but also to escape his challenging relationship with his parents, Gladys and Pierre Bourdain.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026