deadly

English

Etymology

Old English dēadlīċ (adj.), dēadlīċe (adv.), corresponding to dead +‎ -ly. Cognate with Dutch dodelijk, German tödlich.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdɛdli/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

deadly (comparative deadlier or more deadly, superlative deadliest or most deadly)

1. (obsolete) Subject to death; mortal.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XVII:

     And than he began to tremble ryght harde whan the dedly fleysh began to beholde the spirituall thynges.

   • Wyclif Bible, Romans i. 23

     The image of a deadly man.

2. Causing death; lethal.
3. Aiming or willing to destroy; implacable; desperately hostile.

   deadly enemies

   • Shakespeare

     Thy assailant is quick, skillful, and deadly.

4. (by extension) Very accurate (of aiming with a bow, firearm, etc.).
5. (informal) Very boring.
   • 1907, Robert Chambers, chapter 6, The Younger Set^[1]:

     “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, … !”

6. (informal) Excellent, awesome, cool.

Translations

lethal

• Asturian: mortal (ast), mortíferu (ast)
• Bulgarian: убийствен (bg) (ubijstven), смъртоносен (bg) (smǎrtonosen)
• Catalan: mortal (ca), letal (ca), mortífer (ca)
• Czech: smrtelný (cs), smrtící (cs), smrtonosný (cs)
• Dutch: dodelijk (nl)
• Finnish: tappava (fi), kuolettava (fi)
• French: mortel (fr), fatal (fr), létal (fr)

• Galician: mortal (gl), letal (gl), mortífero (gl)
• German: tödlich (de)
• Hebrew: קטלני (he) (qat'lany) m, קטלנית (he) (qat'lanyt) f
• Portuguese: mortal (pt), fatal (pt), letal (pt), mortífero (pt), fatífero (pt)
• Romanian: ucigător (ro), mortal (ro), letal (ro)
• Russian: смертельный (ru) (smertélʹnyj)
• Spanish: mortal (es), letal (es), mortífero (es)

very accurate

• Bulgarian: много точен (bg) (mnogo točen)

• Finnish: murhaavan tarkka (fi)

very boring

• Bulgarian: много скучен (bg) (mnogo skučen)
• Finnish: tappavan tylsä (fi)

• French: mortel (fr)

excellent, awesome, cool

• Finnish: mahtava (fi)
• Romanian: mortal (ro)

• Russian: великолепный (ru) (velikolépnyj)

Derived terms

• deadly sin

Adverb

deadly (comparative more deadly, superlative most deadly)

1. (obsolete) Fatally, mortally.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Folio Society 2006, p. 16:

     perceiving 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, begin to turn his face from his enemie

2. In a way which suggests death.

   Her face suddenly became deadly white.

3. Extremely.

   deadly weary — Orrery.

   so deadly cunning a man — Arbuthnot.

Translations

Fatally, mortally

• Romanian: fatalmente (ro), mortal (ro)

• Russian: смертельно (ru) (smertelʹno)

In a way which suggests death

• Russian: смертельно (ru) (smertelʹno)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Finnish: kalman-, kuoleman-

Related terms

• dead