adj., -li·er, -li·est.
- Causing or tending to cause death: deadly weapons; a deadly spill of radioactive waste products. See synonyms at fatal.
- Suggestive of death: a deadly pallor.
- Aiming or wanting to kill; implacable: deadly enemies.
- Destructive in effect: gave the film a deadly review.
- Tending to take away vitality, effectiveness, or force: the deadly habit of procrastination.
- Absolute; utter: deadly concentration.
- Extreme or terrible: worked under deadly strain.
- Extremely accurate; unerring: She is a deadly shot with the bow.
- Dull, tedious, and boring: a deadly prose style.
- So as to suggest death.
- To an extreme: deadly serious.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
