English · Word Candidate

lethal

/ˈliː.θəl/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: lethals

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.

Adjective

Examples

Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Any weapon that causes death.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

An allele that causes the death of the organism that carries it.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “lethal” mean?

Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.

Is “lethal” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.