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as in doomed
facing certain defeat, disaster, or death if we don't finish this project on time, we're dead

Synonyms & Similar Words

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dead

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adverb

dead

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noun

as in death
the state of being dead it's impossible to raise someone from the dead

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dead contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dead are deceased, defunct, departed, and late. While all these words mean "devoid of life," dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

How does the word deceased relate to other synonyms for dead?

Deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. Deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

When is it sensible to use defunct instead of dead?

The words defunct and dead are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

Where would departed be a reasonable alternative to dead?

The synonyms departed and dead are sometimes interchangeable, but departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

When might late be a better fit than dead?

Although the words late and dead have much in common, late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Example Sentences

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 dead
Adjective
Two men were found dead in an Excelsior Springs home Wednesday night during a welfare check, according to the Excelsior Springs Police Department. Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2025 Epstein was found dead in a New York City jail cell in 2019. Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2025
Adverb
Ben Patrick is better known as the Knees Over Toes guy: a viral internet personality who believes that the oldest rule in the weight-training book is dead wrong. Wes Judd, Outside Online, 6 Jan. 2025 When his mother winds up dead, Ali begins to have his suspicions. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
Those dead include as many as 11 skaters, four coaches, 12 parents and two siblings, according to a person familiar with the situation. Philip Hersh, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025 But one vital character in the unfinished opus that is the life of Donald J. Trump will not be attending — the long-time dead Roy Marcus Cohn. Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dead
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead
Adjective
  • One sister’s mother is deceased, the other lives in Savannah with little contact with her daughter.
    Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2025
  • If the bird is deceased, wear gloves to handle and bury them in your yard.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Keeling had discovered what became known as the Keeling Curve – the slow rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that was causing global warming.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Brandon Bell/Getty Images/Getty Images North America Consumer spending has softened so far this year, however, which could lead to slower economic growth.
    Scott Horsley, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Selections from the trio’s synth-heavy mid-Eighties years sound sturdier than ever within the grand sweep of Rush 50, defying the tired rock-purist take that the trio strayed too far during this period.
    Hank Shteamer, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Absorb punches until Trump tires himself out or, more likely, the American people get tired of all the chaos and disruption.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Consistent messaging is an absolute must, whether in CX environments or in conversations with sales reps.
    Mike Meisenheimer, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • In baseball, results are marked in absolute terms, and the official record will forever show that Ohtani homered in the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.
    Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Samuel has Raynaud’s syndrome, a condition in which blood vessel spasms cause your hands, feet, or other body parts to feel numb and turn colors in cold weather.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 3 Mar. 2025
  • But fear is a concept that floats somewhere beyond your immediate reach, like that numb hand lying naked in the snow.
    Outside Online, Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Overall, the extinct species showed far less diversity than the modern ones.
    Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2025
  • In 1954, Kritsky said, all of Brood XI went extinct.
    Mary Carole McCauley, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Producing companies can maintain decent drilling programs at $70 oil, but most of the currently active rigs would quickly go dormant at $50 per barrel.
    David Blackmon, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Obligate diapause solves this by ensuring that the whole population goes dormant just before pupation, the final transformation from larva to adult.
    Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The mothers connect to participate in public awareness campaigns, sharing their stories to warn young people and their families about fentanyl, the deadly drug often sold illicitly by dealers as prescription pills on social media accounts.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The first wave of deadly overdoses were tied to OxyContin and other prescription drugs, and subsequent waves have involved first heroin and more recently illicit versions of fentanyl.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 20 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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