1
as in headache
a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work
weeding out that overgrown garden is going to be a killer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in murderer
a person who kills another person
gunned down by hired killers
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
killer viruses that claimed millions of lives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
a killer exercise program guaranteed to whip you into shape
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of killer
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
Most weed killers out there are full of chemicals that affect everything from your grass to your soil and pets or other outdoor animals.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, a series of murders and missing persons cases are beginning to look like the work of a single Bible-loving perpetrator, somebody adept at removing digits and leaving clues that seem to point to a serial killer.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
In that film, unassuming victims are put into a hypnotic trance by a psychic killer to then do his murdering for him, only for that violence to become even more contagious.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for killer
Noun
As this increasingly audacious killer develops a devoted following among the city’s powerless, Bishop becomes convinced these murders connect back to SF’s most powerful man, his own father, Lincoln Graves (Malkovich).
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
Most weed killers out there are full of chemicals that affect everything from your grass to your soil and pets or other outdoor animals.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, a series of murders and missing persons cases are beginning to look like the work of a single Bible-loving perpetrator, somebody adept at removing digits and leaving clues that seem to point to a serial killer.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
In that film, unassuming victims are put into a hypnotic trance by a psychic killer to then do his murdering for him, only for that violence to become even more contagious.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for killer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for killer
Noun
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Raise massive capital, hire hundreds of people, build a sprawling department for every operational headache — from VAT compliance in Marseille to sourcing logistics in Shenzhen.—
Kuo Zhang,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
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However, despite Roy often being a headache for House GOP leadership, many MAGA Republicans still recognize Roy as a conservative fighter.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, this immersive storytelling experience is Edgar Allan Poe for the modern age; a heart-to-bleeding-heart with madmen, murderers and monsters all dying to tell their story.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
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The parolee list features a man who killed his girlfriend’s 22-month-old daughter, and a first-degree murderer who fatally shot a restaurant owner during a robbery.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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If an individual’s core temperature stays above 104 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 30 minutes, the result can be lethal.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
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At Blackburn Rovers, Shearer was lethal, scoring more than 30 league goals in three successive campaigns.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The most difficult piece of the puzzle?—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
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But studying those relationships is difficult, due to the challenges in actually observing social interactions in the shark world.—
BRADY DENNIS THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile Angie is class president, has won a full scholarship to college, stars in the school musicals, has two jobs; no drugs, alcohol or smoking.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
23 Mar. 2026
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That includes donations from the labor union for air traffic controllers, whose jobs are not impacted by this partial shutdown but who understand the strain of working without pay from full government closures.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On paper, Gosling’s turn as a CIA operative named Six who is entrusted with protecting a tween girl from an unhinged assassin should be, if not amazing, at least watchable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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McDonagh’s skill at crisp dialogue and character in his movies is evident in the opening scene for the teaser trailer where Chris boasts of his body count as an assassin worldwide, which has Lee warning against talk of killing people on an airplane.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The death toll was nearly double that of the previous figure given by authorities, who continued search and recovery efforts at the site of the deadly crash.—
Luis Jaime Acosta,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
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An 18-year-old woman from Kansas City is dead following a deadly crash in rural Platte County early Sunday morning.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Palace’s remaining eight games are more challenging than those listed above in terms of the quality of opposition but might, counter-intuitively, offer them a better chance of success as more space opens up to work into during transition.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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Directed by Lawrence Lamont from a script by Syreeta Singleton — both making their feature debut — the film grossed over $51M worldwide at a challenging time for theatrical comedies and has a sequel in development.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Killer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/killer. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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