I. dead ‧ ly 1 /ˈdedli/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ dead , ↑ death , deadliness; adjective : ↑ dead , ↑ deadly , ↑ deathly ; adverb : ↑ deadly , ↑ deathly ; verb : ↑ deaden ]
1 . VERY DANGEROUS likely to cause death SYN lethal :
a deadly poison
a deadly weapon
deadly disease/virus
2 . deadly enemy someone who will always be your enemy and will try to harm you as much as possible:
The two rapidly became deadly enemies.
3 . COMPLETE complete or total:
We sat in deadly silence.
He was in deadly earnest (=completely serious) .
4 . VERY EFFECTIVE causing harm in a very effective way:
She hit the target with deadly accuracy.
5 . LIKE DEATH [only before noun] like death in appearance:
His face had a deadly paleness.
⇨ seven deadly sins at ↑ sin 1 (1)
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THESAURUS
▪ poisonous containing or producing a substance that is likely to kill you, or make you very ill:
poisonous gas
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poisonous snakes
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The plant is poisonous to humans and animals.
▪ toxic toxic chemicals and waste are poisonous to people and the environment:
Crops were sprayed with highly toxic chemicals.
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Lead is toxic to humans.
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The site was used for the disposal of toxic waste.
▪ noxious [usually before noun] formal noxious substances and gases are poisonous:
Vehicles pollute the air with noxious fumes
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The soil may be contaminated with noxious substances.
▪ hazardous [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.
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The building is now unoccupied, and all radioactive or hazardous materials have been removed.
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hazardous nuclear waste
▪ deadly extremely poisonous and likely to kill you – used especially about poisons and snakes:
a deadly poison
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a deadly snake
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Terrorists plotted to release a deadly gas.
II. deadly 2 BrE AmE adverb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ dead , ↑ death , deadliness; adjective : ↑ dead , ↑ deadly , ↑ deathly ; adverb : ↑ deadly , ↑ deathly ; verb : ↑ deaden ]
deadly serious/dull/boring etc very serious, dull etc:
I’m deadly serious, this isn’t a game!