DEATHLY Synonyms: 116 Similar and Opposite Words

deathly

adjective

ˈdeth-lē

Definition of deathly

as in deadly

of, relating to, or suggestive of death his deathly pallor suggested that any attempt to find a pulse would be futile

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in lethal

likely to cause or capable of causing death smallpox is one deathly disease that medical science has been able to conquer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 deathly Henry once again takes a deathly blow to his reputation, but escapes real consequences, now back living a cozy life as a lord. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 2 Mar. 2026 Despite its deathly reputation, Mount Baldy is oftentimes neither a particularly precarious mountain nor an especially treacherous trail. — Outside, 8 Jan. 2026 Despite the deathly dangers of fentanyl contamination, hard drug use has been enjoying record increases in Hollywood and beyond not seen since the hard-partying ’80s. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025 The deathly avalanche between Camp 2 and Camp 3 always scared me. — Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 10 Apr. 2025 Californians must rise and reclaim our Golden State from the deathly and devastating grip of endless bureaucratic cancer. — Stepheny Price, Fox News, 27 Jan. 2025 For all of those thousands of collegiate Olympians past and present, the roar of the football crowd will be drowned out by the deathly silence of their shuttered programs. — Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 24 July 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deathly

Adjective

The death toll from a Russian strike on a warehouse west of Kyiv, the war's deadliest attack so far this year, rose to 38 with four people still missing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media Sunday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Ukraine launched deadly strikes in recent months on the facilities of Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, saying the company sells dual-use goods that have aided the Kremlin’s war effort.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of deadly

Adjective

Dozens of companies have withdrawn over the past decades due to poor profits, an uncertain business outlook and concerns about harm to their reputations from making arms, especially lethal weapons.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Airwars is the first to map the damage radius of the strikes in Lamerd and estimate the lethal range of the weapon used.

— Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of lethal

Adjective

Joseph lauded Walsh’s steadiness in the face of mortal danger and noted that Walsh, after being shot twice in the torso and returning fire that killed the suspect, walked out of the house on his own power and called for his own ambulance.

— Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
By suggesting that Black women would willingly place their own children in mortal danger for profit, such narratives provided yet another means of humiliating, degrading and dehumanizing African Americans.

— The Conversation, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of mortal

Adjective

An incident that for others might be fatal—a free fall from a high bridge—affects the coyote for only a brief moment.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
There is a broad debate over the applicability of PNB to modern anti-trust cases, with many legal scholars finding the application of a random number, without any real analysis of the potential harm a merger might cause, to be a fatal flaw.

— Shubha Ghosh, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of fatal

Adjective

Current policy allows airport facilities to be named only for people who have been dead at least two years and who made significant contributions to the airport authority or aviation in Middle Tennessee.

— Hadley Hitson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
To that end, Chris Diamantopoulos looks like an inspired bit of casting as Mitch McNamara, a government agent who swoops in to examine eight dead Jasons and a ninth the police are holding in an interrogation room.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of dead

Browse Nearby Words

deathless

deathly

deaths

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“Deathly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deathly. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of deathly

adjective

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