deathly
deathly Lexical Profile
deathly Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
To an extreme, intense, or overwhelming degree (typically used with negative qualities such as pale, ill, afraid, or dull).
"He has been deathly afraid of heights ever since his childhood accident."
In a way that resembles or suggests death.
"The patient lay deathly still while the physician examined his pulse."
• adjective
Resembling, suggestive of, or characteristic of death, especially in stillness, silence, or paleness.
"A deathly hush fell over the auditorium as the jury prepared to announce the verdict."
Causing or capable of causing death; fatal.
"The ancient text warned travelers of a deathly pestilence sweeping through the valley."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Deathly" is frequently compared with "deadly"; while "deadly" usually describes something capable of causing physical death (such as a deadly poison), "deathly" typically describes a state or appearance that resembles death (such as a deathly silence or deathly pallor).
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English dēaþlīc, meaning "mortal" or "fatal," formed from dēaþ ("death") and the suffix -līc ("-ly").