lethal
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.able to cause death.
adj.capable of causing death; fatal or mortal in effect.
Simple“The snake's venom is lethal to small animals and humans.”
In context“The laboratory confirmed that the chemical spill contained a lethal concentration of toxins, necessitating an immediate evacuation of the surrounding area.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
adj.extremely successful or powerful, often in a way that defeats an opponent.
adj.highly effective or devastating in a figurative sense, particularly regarding skill or performance.
Simple“The striker has a lethal shot that most goalkeepers cannot stop.”
In context“Her lethal wit and sharp debating skills made her a formidable opponent in the courtroom.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a version of a gene that causes an organism to die.
n.an allele that causes the death of the organism that carries it, often before birth or maturity.
Simple“The researchers studied how a specific lethal gene was passed down in the fruit flies.”
In context“The presence of a homozygous lethal in the population resulted in a significant deviation from the expected Mendelian ratios among the surviving offspring.”
Synonymslethal allele - 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a type of solid alcohol found in certain oils and waxes.
n.one of the higher alcohols of the paraffin series, typically obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.
Simple“The chemist isolated the lethal from the wax sample for further testing.”
In context“The structural analysis of the lethal revealed a long-chain aliphatic alcohol consistent with derivatives of spermaceti.”
“A June heat wave in Belgium and neighboring countries exposed a lethal lack of readiness.”
“Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said at a press conference, referring to the particularly lethal species of Ebola for which no approved vaccine currently exists.”
Learned borrowing from Latin lētālis (“deadly, mortal, fatal”), improperly written lēthālis, from lētum (“death”), improperly written as lēthum, from a supposed connection with Ancient Greek λήθη (lḗthē, “oblivion, forgetfulness”).
Abbreviation of “lauric acid ethereal salt”, so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.