deadly
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
deadly
- /ˈdɛdli/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɛdli
Where it comes from
From Middle English dedly, dedlych, dedlich, from Old English dēadlīċ (adjective), from Proto-West Germanic *dauþalīk, from Proto-Germanic *dauþalīkaz (“deadly”, literally “deathly”). By surface analysis, dead + -ly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian dodelk (“deadly”), West Frisian deadlik (“deadly”), Dutch dodelijk (“deadly”), German tödlich (“deadly”), Swedish dödlig (“deadly, fatal, mortal”), Icelandic dauðlegur (“mortal”).
The adverb is from Middle English dedliche, from Old English dēadlīċe (adverb), from the adjective.
adjective deadlier · more deadly · deadliest · most deadly
- Subject to death; mortal. […]he ſuffred hym ſelfe to be made mortall and dedly, that innocent & gyltles in hym ſelfe: he myght be ſlayne & deye for the gylty man.
- Causing death; lethal. But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶[…]The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the he
- Aiming or willing to destroy; implacable; desperately hostile. deadly enemies
- Very accurate (of aiming with a bow, firearm, etc.). Its deadly aim at vast distances, which condition of the mechanical power brought has made it the dread of the sepoys, who term it "the gun that kills without making any sound," contrasts strangely with the performances of Brown Bess of old, which at any range beyond a hundred yards was so uncertain
- Very boring. “I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, the worn-out, passionless men, the enervated matrons of the summer capital,[…]!”
- Excellent, awesome, cool.
adverb more deadly · most deadly
- Fatally, mortally. [P]erceiving himſelfe deadly wounded by a ſhot received in his body, being by his men perſwaded to come off and retire himſelfe from out the throng, anſwered, he would not now ſo neere his end, beginne to turne his face from his enemie[…]
- In a way which suggests death. Her face suddenly became deadly white.
- Extremely, incredibly. Though deadly weary, till ſpectators do / At once part and call them good boys too[…]
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: mortal, lethal, deathly, pestilent, harmful, pernicious, noxious, devilishly, deucedly, madly, insanely, lifelessly, unpardonable, fatal, baneful, venomous
Translations
Every language
adj lethal
| Español | exicial |
|---|---|
| Português | mortal, fatal, letal, mortífero, fatífero |
| Français | mortel, fatal, létal |
| Deutsch | tödlich |
| Română | ucigător, mortal, letal |
| Русский | смерте́льный smertélʹnyj, уби́йственный ubíjstvennyj, смертоно́сный smertonósnyj |
| العربية | مُمِيت mumīt |
| עברית | קַטְלָנִי katlaní, קַטְלָנִית katlanít |
adj very boring
| Français | mortel |
|---|
adj excellent, awesome, cool
| Română | mortal |
|---|---|
| Русский | великоле́пный velikolépnyj |
adv Fatally, mortally
| Română | fatalmente, mortal |
|---|---|
| Русский | смертельно smertelʹno |
adv In a way which suggests death
| Русский | смертельно smertelʹno |
|---|
Talk about this word "deadly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/deadly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. deadly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/deadly "deadly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/deadly.Cite this
@misc{deadly_2026,
title = {deadly},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/deadly},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
