Deadly — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb /ˈded-lē/ dead·ly

Meaning & Definition of Deadly

Deadly (adjective)

  1. likely to cause or capable of producing death
  2. aiming to kill or destroy, implacable
  3. highly effective

Deadly (adverb)

  1. in a manner to cause death, mortally
  2. suggesting death
  3. extremely

Deadly (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. likely to cause or capable of causing death

    "the doctors were alarmed about the outbreak of the deadly new virus"

    similar: baleful, deathly, fatal, fell, killer, lethal, mortal, murderous, pestilent, terminal, vital
    related: baneful, deleterious, destructive, harmful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, truculent, infectious, infective, pestilential, poisonous, sublethal, toxic, virulent, dangerous, grave, grievous, hazardous, jeopardizing, menacing, parlous, perilous, risky, serious, threatening, ugly, unhealthy, unsound, bloody, internecine, sanguinary, sanguine
    opposite: healthful, healthy, nonfatal, nonlethal, wholesome
    near: beneficial, restorative, salubrious, salutary, alleviative, corrective, curative, remedial, tonic, advantageous, useful, nonpoisonous, nontoxic, safe

  2. having no exceptions or restrictions

    "the deadly tedium of waiting for the fog to lift"

    similar: absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming (chiefly British), bodacious (Southern & Midland), categorical, clean, complete, consummate, crashing, damn, damned, dead, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very
    related: authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable, constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting, extreme, unrestricted, confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate, extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific
    near: doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

  3. of, relating to, or suggestive of death

    "a deadly pallor spread across her face as the tragic news gradually sank in"

    similar: dead, deathly, mortal, mortuary
    related: cadaverous, ghostlike, ghostly, phantom, spectral, inactive, inert, inoperative, lifeless, quiescent, still, macabre, baleful, fatal, fateful, fell, killer, lethal, murderous, pestilent
    near: active, alive, animate, breathing, live, living, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, lively, peppy, perky, pert, racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, springy, vigorous, vital, vivacious, zippy, able-bodied, chipper, fit, hale, healthy, hearty, robust, sound, well, whole, wholesome

Deadly (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to a great degree

    "I'm deadly serious about making an offer on the house"

    similar: achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous (chiefly dialect), mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, very, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly, a lot, as all get-out, good and
    related: absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly, visibly, abundantly, plentifully, astronomically, grandly, monstrously, monumentally, excessively, obscenely, overmuch, amazingly, astonishingly, staggeringly
    opposite: little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
    near: meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Deadly

The most common words with a similar meaning to Deadly:

Chiefly British: blooming
Southern & Midland: bodacious
Chiefly dialect: monstrous
baleful, deathly, fatal, fell, killer, lethal, mortal, murderous, pestilent, terminal, vital, absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, categorical, clean, complete, consummate, crashing, damn, damned, dead, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Deadly

Words with the opposite meaning of Deadly:

healthful, healthy, nonfatal, nonlethal, wholesome, little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat

Related Words for Deadly

baneful, deleterious, destructive, harmful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, truculent, infectious, infective, pestilential, poisonous, sublethal, toxic, virulent, dangerous, grave, grievous, hazardous, jeopardizing, menacing, parlous, perilous, risky, serious, threatening, ugly, unhealthy, unsound, bloody

Near Antonyms of Deadly

beneficial, restorative, salubrious, salutary, alleviative, corrective, curative, remedial, tonic, advantageous, useful, nonpoisonous, nontoxic, safe, doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain, active, alive, animate, breathing, live, living, animated, bouncing, brisk

Word Forms of Deadly

Inflections: deadlier, deadliest

Derived words: deadliness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Deadly

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Deadly

Words & Phrases Containing Deadly

deadly nightshade, deadly sin

Frequently Asked Questions about Deadly

What does "Deadly" mean?

"Deadly" means likely to cause or capable of producing death. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: likely to cause or capable of producing death. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Deadly"?

Other words for "Deadly" include baleful, deathly, fatal, fell, killer, lethal, mortal and murderous. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Deadly" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Deadly"?

There are 246 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Deadly". Common alternatives include baleful, deathly, fatal, fell, killer, lethal, mortal, murderous, pestilent and terminal.

What is the opposite of "Deadly"?

Antonyms of "Deadly" include healthful, healthy, nonfatal, nonlethal, wholesome, little, negligibly and nominally. Near antonyms include beneficial, restorative, salubrious and salutary.

How do you use "Deadly" in a sentence?

Examples of "Deadly" in a sentence: "the doctors were alarmed about the outbreak of the deadly new virus"; "the deadly tedium of waiting for the fog to lift"; "a deadly pallor spread across her face as the tragic news gradually sank in".

Is "Deadly" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Deadly" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Deadly" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Deadly" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Deadly"?

"Deadly" is pronounced /ˈded-lē/ and divided into syllables as dead·ly.