as in deadly
likely to cause or capable of causing death
we were lucky that the snake's venom wasn't lethal, and our friend turned out to be all right
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Recent Examples of lethal
Maduro’s own explanation for this decline portrays the government as handily controlling criminals by means of incredibly lethal police raids carried out between 2015 and 2019.
—
Rebecca Hanson, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2025
Ford, 64, is set to be executed by lethal injection after being on death row for more than two decades for the 1997 murders of Gregory and Kimberly Malnory, who were in their mid-20s.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
Richard Tabler shared his final words before he was executed by lethal injection in Texas on Thursday.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
As part of this, Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine.
Not unreasonable, although, in fact, Europe has provided almost as much military aid to Ukraine as has the United States, and more humanitarian aid.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lethal
Rebecca Hanson, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2025
Ford, 64, is set to be executed by lethal injection after being on death row for more than two decades for the 1997 murders of Gregory and Kimberly Malnory, who were in their mid-20s.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
Richard Tabler shared his final words before he was executed by lethal injection in Texas on Thursday.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
As part of this, Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine.
Not unreasonable, although, in fact, Europe has provided almost as much military aid to Ukraine as has the United States, and more humanitarian aid.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lethal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lethal
Adjective
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The deadly blaze erupted Saturday just before 2 p.m. near Fenwick Street, officials told WFSB-TV.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2025
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Armed gangs now control approximately 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, carrying out kidnappings, extortion, and deadly clashes with security forces.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Gordon Cordeiro had his freedom secured on Friday after a judge ordered him released in light of new DNA evidence that led to the overturning of his conviction in the 1994 fatal shooting of Timothy Blaisdell on the island of Maui.—
Landon Mion,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025
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Even a pencil tip amount of the synthetic opioid pain reliever drug can be fatal, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Shauna, Van, and Akilah break free from the rest of the group and end up in a tunnel permeated by some sort of poisonous gas.—
Esther Zuckerman,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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But perhaps more alarmingly, Seneca Meadows is currently sending poisonous, PFAS-laden runoff into the Hudson and your drinking water supply.—
Yvonne Taylor,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lethal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lethal. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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