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
The schedule-makers smiled down on tournament viewers for this round of games, immediately giving fans a delectable matchup of lethal offenses.
—
Jim Root, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
All are set to be executed by lethal injection except Mahdi, who has until next week to choose between lethal injection, the firing squad or the electric chair.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
In Oklahoma, 56-year-old Wendell Grissom was declared dead by lethal injection at the penitentiary in McAlester at 10:13 a.m.
—arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2025
In Florida, death row inmates who choose lethal injection receive a three-drug cocktail consisting of a sedative, a paralytic and a heart-stopping drug, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
—Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lethal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lethal
Adjective
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The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what led to the deadly incident.—
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Trump has attempted to crack down on pro-Palestinian campus protests against U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza, which has caused a humanitarian crisis in the enclave and followed a deadly October 2023 attack by Islamist group Hamas.—
Adjective
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Black lung, a debilitating and often fatal condition caused by inhalation of coal and silica dust during mining, affects roughly 1 in 5 miners who have worked in the Central Appalachian mines for twenty-five years or more, according to NIOSH.—
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The day of the fatal fall, Goodwin said Bass had checked on Tidus and his brother minutes prior, and then had stepped outside with the dog.—
Adjective
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Though gorgeous with color, azaleas are poisonous to animals and humans when ingested.—
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Every part of the pong pong tree is poisonous, but the leaves and barks aren’t as potent as the seeds.—
Cite this Entry
“Lethal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lethal. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
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