deadly1 adjectivedeadly2 adverb
deadlydead‧ly1 /ˈdedli/ ●●○ adjective 
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Hank can shoot with deadly precision.
- Hemlock is one of nature's oldest and most deadly poisons.
- His lectures are deadly.
- In the First World War pneumonia was as deadly as bullets and shells.
- Some mushrooms are edible while others, which look almost identical, contain deadly poisons.
- The woman's face had a deadly paleness.
- And he was the one who helped her make decisions about how to respond to the deadly disease.
- But deadly visions hang Like rain-clouds in the sound.
- By some lucky balance of nature, the Alpha rays, although deadly, can not penetrate matter readily.
- Folic acid, a B vitamin, reduces heart-attack risks by lowering a potentially deadly blood chemical called homocysteine.
- He enters the system ingenuously contemplating the awesome responsibility that underlies lectures on the appropriate use of deadly force.
- Large claymore-style mines were mounted on the surface for use against infantry, frequently with deadly effect.
THESAURUS
containing or producing a substance that is likely to kill you, or make you very ill: · poisonous gas· poisonous snakes· The plant is poisonous to humans and animals.
toxic chemicals and waste are poisonous to people and the environment: · Crops were sprayed with highly toxic chemicals.· Lead is toxic to humans.· The site was used for the disposal of toxic waste.
[usually before noun] formal noxious substances and gases are poisonous: · Vehicles pollute the air with noxious fumes· The soil may be contaminated with noxious substances.
[usually before noun] hazardous substances are likely to harm people, animals, or the environment if they are not dealt with or got rid of carefully: · Lead is one of the most hazardous substances known, causing cancer and nerve damage.· The building is now unoccupied, and all radioactive or hazardous materials have been removed.· hazardous nuclear waste
extremely poisonous and likely to kill you – used especially about poisons and snakes: · a deadly poison· a deadly snake· Terrorists plotted to release a deadly gas.
containing or producing a substance that is likely to kill you, or make you very ill: · poisonous gas· poisonous snakes· The plant is poisonous to humans and animals.
toxic chemicals and waste are poisonous to people and the environment: · Crops were sprayed with highly toxic chemicals.· Lead is toxic to humans.· The site was used for the disposal of toxic waste.
[usually before noun] formal noxious substances and gases are poisonous: · Vehicles pollute the air with noxious fumes· The soil may be contaminated with noxious substances.
[usually before noun] hazardous substances are likely to harm people, animals, or the environment if they are not dealt with or got rid of carefully: · Lead is one of the most hazardous substances known, causing cancer and nerve damage.· The building is now unoccupied, and all radioactive or hazardous materials have been removed.· hazardous nuclear waste
extremely poisonous and likely to kill you – used especially about poisons and snakes: · a deadly poison· a deadly snake· Terrorists plotted to release a deadly gas.
Longman Language Activatorable to kill you a fatal accident, illness, or injury is one that causes death: · He suffered a fatal injury to the neck.fatal to: · A sudden shock could be fatal to anyone with a weak heart.
something that is lethal can cause death - use this especially about weapons or substances: · The poison produced by the frog's skin is so lethal that it can paralyze a bird or a monkey immediately.· A lethal cocktail of pollutants is being poured into Scotland's coastal waters, according to Greenpeace.lethal weapon: · Almost any sharp or pointed object can potentially be a lethal weapon.lethal to: · Most pesticides are lethal to earthworms on or near the surface.
something such as a disease or poison that is deadly can cause death: · In the First World War pneumonia was as deadly as bullets and shells.· Some mushrooms are edible while others, which look almost identical, contain deadly poisons.
a killer disease or thing could kill or has killed a lot of people - used especially in newspapers: · A swarm of killer bees has attacked 70 children in a village in northern Mexico.· Killer floods and hurricanes in Asia have destroyed whole towns.
a mortal injury, wound, or disease is one that causes death - used especially in literature: · He killed Leonardo and received a mortal wound himself.· He gathered all his strength to deliver his opponent the final mortal blow.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
He was in deadly earnest (=completely serious).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The weekly meeting tends to be deadly dull (=very dull). Although he smiled, Ashley knew he was in deadly earnest.
He was in deadly earnest (=completely serious). (=that causes death)· If left untreated, the disease can be fatal.· Thousands of children are struck down by this deadly disease every year.
The weekly meeting tends to be deadly dull (=very dull). Although he smiled, Ashley knew he was in deadly earnest. (=enemies who try to harm each other as much as possible)· France and Germany, once deadly enemies, are now partners in the European Union.
· The berries contain a deadly poison.
(=seven bad feelings or desires, in the Christian religion, for example greed or too much pride)
· It is the most deadly snake in India.
· a killer virus which has already been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people
(=one that can kill)· A knife is a lethal weapon.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Once again, the wisecracks fly as fast as the bullets - and are just as deadly.· Yet the contest is as deadly as before, and often crueler.· His enemies are not the fearsome ape Donkey Kong or King Bowser the dragon - though they can be as deadly.· Though not as deadly as the sea wasp, this jellyfish can cause severe irritation if it stings a human.· Skirting boards bloomed with sockets as deadly as they were dated.· As with most weapons, depleted uranium is not as deadly as its proponents-or its critics-claim.· Global warming requires an ethical framework that classifies hitherto innocent actions as deadly.
· And looked quickly for something more deadly?· Depleted uranium is used to make anti-tank shells more deadly, and tank armour less penetrable.· Bacilli were far more deadly than bullets in the battle for imperial survival.· Was what they had taken to be a problem of the stomach something more deadly?· The War had unleashed new currents of dissent: darker, more deadly currents that would be hard to channel.· Nothing could be more deadly than to be able to anticipate every move our partner will make.
· One of the most deadly of all these creatures is the elusive Cave Squig.· For political systems, the last decade has been the most deadly in history.· One of the most deadly animals in the world, the cobra, employs just such a device.· The first, most deadly factor, is insecurity.· He is still one of the most deadly aerial players in front of goal and has formed a good combination with Robert Fleck.· Then there are those who will tell you that the winter storms sucking through the Magellan Straits are the most deadly.
· Read in studio Oxfam is trying to recall seven thousand potentially deadly necklaces on sale in its shops.· Folic acid, a B vitamin, reduces heart-attack risks by lowering a potentially deadly blood chemical called homocysteine.· In the wrong hands - maybe even my own - it is potentially deadly.· These tips also help prevent heat exhaustion, only several cases of which advance to potentially deadly heat stroke at the Canyon.
· So quiet for something so deadly.· Had the makers of Junior Scientist included chemicals so deadly they might destroy a house?· Some fish boast armour so deadly that the predator dies within minutes of biting the spines.
NOUN· The vaccine brings hope to 1,300 young children struck down by the Hib form of deadly disease every year.· A prostate cancer patient, Milken continues to search for cures for the deadly disease, Reese said.· In a small enterprise or department, management by inertia is a deadly disease.· And he was the one who helped her make decisions about how to respond to the deadly disease.· Recognizing that the epidemic was due to this deadly disease, he kept careful notes of every case.· This is not a deadly disease, but does spoil established waterlilies.
· Mr Roberts and I are deadly enemies.· They're deadly enemies, those two.· The two rapidly became deadly enemies.· Her tranquil life was threatened by the coming of a man whom she regarded as her deadly enemy.
· The kinds of attack perpetrated by women seldom use deadly force.· He memorized the use of deadly force.· He enters the system ingenuously contemplating the awesome responsibility that underlies lectures on the appropriate use of deadly force.· Use deadly force to defend themselves or others from death or serious injury.· Use deadly force if other measures would be reasonably effective.· Police arrested Hale, because they believed the altercation with Tavai had not justified the use of deadly force.
· Smearing a good woman for partisan, political advantage can be a deadly game that can easily backfire.· I began to wish it wasn't Martinho who was my partner in this deadly game of doubles.· He could hardly believe a young boy of no more than ten or eleven could be playing such a deadly game.· Then the alarm buzzed and they knew it was time to restart their deadly game.
· We're not talking about children eating deadly nightshade.
· Cadmium, a deadly poison, exceeded the safe limit by seven times; arsenic by 20 times.· Warnings of blowfish, which contain deadly poisons in their livers, came to mind.· Many of the exotic fruits may provide a wonderful meal for the traveller, but some contain a deadly poison.· Castor oil comes from the bean but so does a powerful skin irritant, and a deadly poison called ricin.· For good measure, some varieties contain the deadly poison tetrodotoxin.
· He felt as if he had been led through the seven deadly sins one by one, with lust leading the way.· I noticed with amusement that the tapestries hanging there illustrated the seven deadly sins.· Anger, he saw, had not been lightly numbered among the deadly sins.· Thinking about deadly sin led her to think again of Satan.
· Ashe has known since 1988 that he had the deadly virus.· For those who are not yet infected with this deadly virus, remaining uninfected is very important, and very possible.· Together with other treatments -- in a so-called drug cocktail -- they can reduce levels of the deadly virus to near zero.· He is the man carrying the deadly virus.
· The trebuchet; a twelfth-century example of this deadly weapon, capable of enormous destruction as a siege engine.· Xavier Hicks, model student, was being charged with assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a concealed weapon.· My hands and feet are registered with the local constabulary as deadly weapons.· He was booked into the Vista jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- Her tranquil life was threatened by the coming of a man whom she regarded as her deadly enemy.
- Mr Roberts and I are deadly enemies.
- The two rapidly became deadly enemies.
- They're deadly enemies, those two.
WORD FAMILYnoundeaddeathdeadlinessadjectivedeaddeadlydeathlyadverbdeadlydeathlyverbdeaden
1very dangerous likely to cause death SYN lethal: a deadly poison a deadly weapondeadly disease/virus2deadly enemy someone who will always be your enemy and will try to harm you as much as possible: The two rapidly became deadly enemies.3complete complete or total: We sat in deadly silence. He was in deadly earnest (=completely serious).4very effective causing harm in a very effective way: She hit the target with deadly accuracy.5like death [only before noun] like death in appearance: His face had a deadly paleness. → seven deadly sins at sin1(1)deadly1 adjectivedeadly2 adverb
deadlydeadly2 adverb EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- His companion chuckled at the jest, but Gravelet, whose stage name was Blondin, was deadly serious.
- It sounds like a sick joke but they are deadly serious.
- Most of them had to cross a creek swollen with winter rains, and deadly cold with winter ice and snow.
- The ad has been up around the country all spring, unanswered, and it has been deadly effective.
- The primary indicator is Attempts to be deadly serious invariably result in unintended comedy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The weekly meeting tends to be deadly dull (=very dull). Although he smiled, Ashley knew he was in deadly earnest.
(=that causes death)· If left untreated, the disease can be fatal.· Thousands of children are struck down by this deadly disease every year.
The weekly meeting tends to be deadly dull (=very dull). Although he smiled, Ashley knew he was in deadly earnest. (=enemies who try to harm each other as much as possible)· France and Germany, once deadly enemies, are now partners in the European Union.
· The berries contain a deadly poison.
(=seven bad feelings or desires, in the Christian religion, for example greed or too much pride)
· It is the most deadly snake in India.
· a killer virus which has already been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people
(=one that can kill)· A knife is a lethal weapon.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· It sounds like a sick joke but they are deadly serious.· His companion chuckled at the jest, but Gravelet, whose stage name was Blondin, was deadly serious.· The primary indicator is Attempts to be deadly serious invariably result in unintended comedy.· The noise level was high in both languages; all faces were deadly serious.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- And at a time which - surely it was obvious - was deadly serious.
- He's a deadly dull little man as far as I can see.
- He was deadly serious and I knew it.
- His companion chuckled at the jest, but Gravelet, whose stage name was Blondin, was deadly serious.
- It was now clear, however, that the position was becoming deadly serious.
- Suppose, for example, you regularly attend a weekly meeting which tends to be deadly dull.
- The noise level was high in both languages; all faces were deadly serious.
- The primary indicator is Attempts to be deadly serious invariably result in unintended comedy.
WORD FAMILYnoundeaddeathdeadlinessadjectivedeaddeadlydeathlyadverbdeadlydeathlyverbdeaden
deadly serious/dull/boring etc very serious, dull etc: I’m deadly serious, this isn’t a game!