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View synonyms for deadly

deadly

[ ded-lee ]

adjective

deadlier, deadliest.
  1. causing or tending to cause death; fatal; lethal:

    a deadly poison.

  2. aiming to kill or destroy; implacable:

    a deadly enemy.

  3. like death:

    a deadly pallor.

  4. excruciatingly boring:

    The dinner party was absolutely deadly.

    Synonyms: dreary, tedious, dull

  5. deadly haste.

  6. extremely accurate:

    Annie Oakley was a deadly shot.



adverb

  1. in a manner resembling or suggesting death:

    deadly pale.

  2. excessively; completely:

    deadly dull.

deadly

/ ˈdɛdlɪ /

adjective

  1. likely to cause death

    deadly poison

    deadly combat

  2. informal.
    extremely boring
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. like death in appearance or certainty

    deadly pale

    a deadly sleep

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈdeadliness, noun
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Other Words From

  • deadli·ness noun
  • non·deadly adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of deadly1

First recorded before 900; Middle English deedli(ch), Old English dēadlīce; dead, -ly
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Synonym Study

See fatal.
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Example Sentences

Domestic abuse is far more likely to turn deadly when a gun is involved.

From Salon

Mexico has also made it harder to import a key ingredient of fentanyl from China, prompting cartels to reduce the strength of each pill - and, in the process, making them less deadly.

From BBC

In court, Daisy said Jax’s death serves as a warning that “children can be taken advantage of, that social media is not safe, and that experimenting with drugs, even once, can be deadly.”

Weston Cage was arrested last June and charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

From BBC

The BLA has waged a decades-long insurgency to gain independence and has launched numerous deadly attacks, often targeting police stations, railway lines and highways.

From BBC

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