SUBLETHAL Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

sublethal

adjective

Definition of sublethal

as in toxic

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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 sublethal Documenting often-invisible, sublethal effects in wild animals that are definitively linked to plastic itself has remained elusive. — Matthew Savoca, The Conversation, 21 Mar. 2023 The third is that this dosage was sublethal, just to send a message. — Ellen Barry and Ceylan Yeginsu, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2018 There’s a growing body of evidence, too, that neonicotinoids may have sublethal effects, says Dennis vanEngelsdorp, a bee researcher at the University of Maryland who was not involved in the new study. — Lindsey Konkel, National Geographic, 26 July 2016

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sublethal

Adjective

But the heart of this story is the toxic years-long romance between Marjorie and her co-conspirator Bill Rothstein (David Harbour), an equally cunning player who was blinded by love.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
The company says these materials are abundant and non-toxic, potentially avoiding some of the cost, safety, and supply challenges associated with conventional battery chemistries.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2026

Definition of toxic

Adjective

The team confirmed that those eggs developed into infective third-stage larvae.

— Jay Kakade August 05, Refractor, 5 Aug. 2026
His provisional cause of death was given as multi-organ failure due to infective endocarditis, a rare infection of the inner lining or valves of the heart.

— Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025

Definition of infective

Adjective

The isotopes that make up radiopharmaceuticals are just as virulent as the beam radiation patients have begrudgingly tolerated for decades.

— Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 10 Aug. 2026
The feminist progress of the past half century has been met with a virulent backlash of misogyny.

— Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of virulent

Adjective

Spanish bluebells contain saponins, which smell and taste like soap, as well as poisonous cardiac glycosides.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
As Anna covers for Fyodor’s addiction and increasingly unstable professional behavior, her devotion starts to look poisonous for them both.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of poisonous

Adjective

Public health experts said the move amounted to extraordinary political interference in the authority of a state health department and an effort to minimize the risks of the highly infectious virus.

— Reuters, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
The patients had gone to UCLA for cancer and infectious-disease treatments, high-risk women’s services, major organ transplants and other specialty medicine care, the association said.

— Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of infectious

Adjective

During this time, bogs, marshes, and other wetlands, historically seen as disease-ridden and deleterious to human health, were reevaluated by scientists and conservationists as valuable wildlife habitats.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
The effects of this are going to be really deleterious to this whole thing.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 23 July 2026

Definition of deleterious

Adjective

Unresolved issues run the gamut, from antitrust protections to chip export controls to whether existing consumer laws are sufficient to protect people from harmful AI.

— Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
For example, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed multiple AI bills into law, including Adam's Law, which requires AI chatbot makers to protect minors from harmful interactions.

— Lora Kolodny,Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of harmful

Adjective

But the specific way markets are taking root—with much of the population too poor to participate meaningfully, with no rule of law, and with the gap between winners and losers steadily widening—is pernicious for the country’s future.

— Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
Most sinister of all, the documentary suggests Musk’s real goal in getting into the White House was to access data on all Americans, once again to feed his pernicious AI dreams.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of pernicious

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sublet

sublethal

sublets

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“Sublethal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sublethal. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of sublethal

adjective

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