lethal

/'li:θəl/

Thân thiện

A scientist carefully labels a vial containing a lethal substance in the laboratory.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Capable of causing death; deadly or fatal: Describes something with the potential or power to kill.
   • Extremely harmful or destructive: Can describe something that causes great damage or is devastatingly effective.

Usage

The adjective "lethal" is used to qualify nouns, indicating they have death-dealing properties or extreme danger. It is often used in medical, military, legal, and general contexts. - It typically precedes the noun it modifies (e.g., a lethal dose). - It can be used in both literal (causing physical death) and figurative (causing the end or failure of something) senses, though the literal sense is primary.

Examples

• The snake's venom is highly lethal.
• He was convicted of carrying a lethal weapon.
• The boxer delivered a lethal blow to his opponent's head.
• The policy had a lethal effect on small businesses.
• A lethal dose of the drug was found in his system.

Advanced Usage

• "Lethal injection": A method of execution where a person is killed with a fatal dose of drugs.
  • The prisoner was executed by lethal injection.
• Figurative Use: Describing something that causes the certain end or failure of a non-living entity.
  • The scandal proved to be a lethal blow to his political career.

Variants and Related Words

• Lethality (noun): The capacity or power to cause death; the quality of being lethal.
  • The lethality of the new virus strain is being studied.
• Non-lethal (adjective): Not capable of causing death.
  • The police used non-lethal force to disperse the crowd.

Synonyms

• Deadly: (Very similar, often interchangeable) Likely to cause or capable of causing death.
• Fatal: Resulting in or capable of causing death.
• Mortal: Causing or liable to cause death; fatal. (Often used in "mortal wound").
• Deathly: Resembling or suggestive of death.

Antonyms

• Harmless: Not able or likely to cause harm.
• Safe: Not causing or likely to cause harm or injury.
• Non-lethal: (see above).

Phrases and Collocations

• Lethal weapon: A weapon capable of causing death.
• Lethal dose: The amount of a substance sufficient to cause death.
• Lethal force: The use of force that is likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm.
• Potentially lethal: Having the possibility of causing death.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. of an instrument of certain death
   • deadly poisons
   • lethal weapon
   • a lethal injection

Từ đồng nghĩa

• deadly