deadlier; deadliest
1
: likely to cause or capable of producing death
deadly poison
2
a
: aiming to kill or destroy : implacable
a deadly enemy
b
: highly effective
a deadly exposé
c
: unerring
a deadly marksman
d
: marked by determination or extreme seriousness
3
a
: tending to deprive of force or vitality
a deadly habit
b
: suggestive of death especially in dullness or lack of animation
deadly bores
a deadly conversation
4
: very great : extreme
deadliness
noun
Synonyms
Adjective
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- 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
Examples of deadly in a Sentence
Adjective
the world's most deadly snake
a more deadly form of the disease
They launched a deadly attack.
Officers are allowed to use deadly force if necessary.
She shoots with deadly accuracy.
a basketball player with deadly aim
A deadly silence followed his question.
The two gang leaders are deadly enemies.
He spoke with deadly seriousness.
Adverb
I'm deadly serious about making an offer on the house.
Recent Examples on the Web
Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
The newspaper had republished its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad a few weeks before Paty’s death to mark the opening of the trial over deadly 2015 attacks on its newsroom by Islamic extremists.
—Tom Nouvian and Samuel Petrequin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Tommy McArdle, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
But don’t be fooled by the apparent humor, the Hellcat crime group is deadly serious and wants $125,000 in the cryptocurrency Monero as well.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deadly 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
After his arrest, Wallen was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, and three counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, a class E felony, the lowest level of felony.
—Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
The newspaper had republished its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad a few weeks before Paty’s death to mark the opening of the trial over deadly 2015 attacks on its newsroom by Islamic extremists.
—Tom Nouvian and Samuel Petrequin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Adverb
The movie's trailer depicts Rule as an attractive and charismatic tattoo artist who is deadly serious about his work.
—Tommy McArdle, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
But don’t be fooled by the apparent humor, the Hellcat crime group is deadly serious and wants $125,000 in the cryptocurrency Monero as well.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deadly
Dictionary Entries Near deadly
Cite this Entry
“Deadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadly. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deadly
2 of 2 adverb1
: suggesting death
deadly pale
2
: to a very great degree
deadly dull
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