From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeadlydead‧ly1 /ˈdedli/ ●●○ adjective 1 very dangerousKILL likely to cause death SYN lethal a deadly poison a deadly weapondeadly disease/virus2 → deadly enemy3 completeCOMPLETELY complete or total We sat in deadly silence. He was in deadly earnest (=completely serious).4 very effectiveHARM/BE BAD FOR causing harm in a very effective way She hit the target with deadly accuracy.5 like death [only before noun]DEAD like death in appearance His face had a deadly paleness. → seven deadly sins at sin1(1)
Examples from the Corpusdeadly• His lectures are deadly.• In the First World War pneumonia was as deadly as bullets and shells.• Folic acid, a B vitamin, reduces heart-attack risks by lowering a potentially deadly blood chemical called homocysteine.• By some lucky balance of nature, the Alpha rays, although deadly, can not penetrate matter readily.• And he was the one who helped her make decisions about how to respond to the deadly disease.• Large claymore-style mines were mounted on the surface for use against infantry, frequently with deadly effect.• He enters the system ingenuously contemplating the awesome responsibility that underlies lectures on the appropriate use of deadly force.• The woman's face had a deadly paleness.• Hemlock is one of nature's oldest and most deadly poisons.• Some mushrooms are edible while others, which look almost identical, contain deadly poisons.• Hank can shoot with deadly precision.• But deadly visions hang Like rain-clouds in the sound.deadly disease/virus• And he was the one who helped her make decisions about how to respond to the deadly disease.• Ashe has known since 1988 that he had the deadly virus.• In a small enterprise or department, management by inertia is a deadly disease.• The vaccine brings hope to 1,300 young children struck down by the Hib form of deadly disease every year.• Recognizing that the epidemic was due to this deadly disease, he kept careful notes of every case.• A prostate cancer patient, Milken continues to search for cures for the deadly disease, Reese said.• For those who are not yet infected with this deadly virus, remaining uninfected is very important, and very possible.• Together with other treatments -- in a so-called drug cocktail -- they can reduce levels of the deadly virus to near zero.in deadly earnest• As can be imagined, they were very easily degenerated into hot-tempered battles fought in deadly earnest.• These businessmen are crusty, rough-edged fellows trying to survive in deadly earnest competition with companies much bigger than theirs.deadlydeadly2 adverb → deadly serious/dull/boring etc
Examples from the Corpusdeadly• Most of them had to cross a creek swollen with winter rains, and deadly cold with winter ice and snow.• The ad has been up around the country all spring, unanswered, and it has been deadly effective.• The primary indicator is Attempts to be deadly serious invariably result in unintended comedy.• His companion chuckled at the jest, but Gravelet, whose stage name was Blondin, was deadly serious.• It sounds like a sick joke but they are deadly serious.