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
Antonio Planas, NBC News, 27 June 2024
He was charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal street gang.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 27 June 2024
Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 June 2024
More crime news:Cellphone video capturing deadly stabbing leads to murder arrest, police say
He was arrested after police were called to a home in Noblesville.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deadly 
Adjective
His previous arrests include charges of burglary with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm, trafficking cocaine, battery of a prisoner and battery of a police officer, the station reported.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 27 June 2024
He was charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal street gang.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 27 June 2024
Adverb
The hourlong conversation at The Georgian Hotel moved beyond emotional truths, of course, as the funnymen and women got deadly serious about their deepest fears, their evolving bucket lists and their complicated impulses to make comedy out of tragedy.
—Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 June 2024
More crime news:Cellphone video capturing deadly stabbing leads to murder arrest, police say
He was arrested after police were called to a home in Noblesville.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deadly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deadly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deadly
Cite this Entry
“Deadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadly. Accessed 2 Jul. 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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