deathly

[deth-lee]

adjective

1. causing death; deadly; fatal.

2. like death.

   a deathly silence.

3. of, relating to, or indicating death; morbid.

   a deathly odor from the sepulcher.

adverb

1. in the manner of death.

2. very; utterly.

   deathly afraid.

deathly

/ ˈdɛθlɪ /

adjective

1. deadly

2. resembling death

   a deathly quiet

Other Word Forms

• deathliness noun
• predeathly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deathly¹

before 1000; Middle English dethlich, Old English dēathlīc. See death, -ly

Example Sentences

He could have been totally fine, or he could have gotten deathly ill.

From Salon

As he struggled with a system, which aimed to preserve secrecy and deepen separation, he didn’t know about a deathly further dimension to the institutional inhumanity.

From BBC

When Charlie Hopkins thinks back to the three years he spent in one of America's most famous prisons, he remembers the "deathly quiet" the most.

From BBC

Despite their addiction to Russian energy, they ironically claim to be deathly afraid of Putin’s territorial ambitions.

From Los Angeles Times

Sure, but whatever one feels about the ethics of “Emilia Pérez,” the bigger problem, for me, is that it quickly begins to take itself deathly seriously.

From Los Angeles Times