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as in doomed
facing certain defeat, disaster, or death if we don't finish this project on time, we're dead

Synonyms & Similar Words

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dead

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adverb

dead

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noun

as in death
the state of being dead it's impossible to raise someone from the dead

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dead contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dead are deceased, defunct, departed, and late. While all these words mean "devoid of life," dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

How does the word deceased relate to other synonyms for dead?

Deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. Deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

When is it sensible to use defunct instead of dead?

The words defunct and dead are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

Where would departed be a reasonable alternative to dead?

The synonyms departed and dead are sometimes interchangeable, but departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

When might late be a better fit than dead?

Although the words late and dead have much in common, late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dead
Adjective
The victim suffered injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025 Dabney was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:40 p.m., according to a news release Thursday afternoon from the Ada County Coroner’s Office. Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 5 June 2025
Adverb
Entering last season, the Tigers had averaged about a ninth-place finish in punt return yards since joining the SEC in 2012, including 2023, when Mizzou finished dead last. Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2025 With the Chicago Blackhawks dead last in the standings, general manager Kyle Davidson will likely spend more time over the next months evaluating draft prospects and taking calls leading up to the March 7 deadline. Scott Powers, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
Russia’s Tass news agency earlier said the Russian dead included at least two children, citing the country’s consul in Hurghada. Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025 Collecting the bodies For nearly three days, corpses littered the streets of Pine village, after villagers said fighters forbade them from collecting their dead, according to three of the locals CNN spoke to. Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dead
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead
Adjective
  • At Harrison’s birth, his father, Lyon Sr., was 75 years old, and his grandfather had been deceased for 66 years.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 29 May 2025
  • By honoring the Union’s deceased soldiers, the Black community in Charleston was creating a moment in the nation’s history, showing gratitude to those who had fought for their emancipation.
    Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • The solution to getting those who may be slower to embrace AI isn’t to push them harder, but to coach them and consider their backgrounds.
    Greg Edwards, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
  • Still, even if the growth is slower than in some North American leagues, European teams continue to appreciate.
    Justin Teitelbaum, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • While infants and toddlers between the ages of 0 to 2 years are more likely to experience a stuffy nose, cough, poor appetite, fussiness, and sleep problems, children between the ages of 3 to 5 years mainly complain of sleepiness, feeling tired during daytime, low energy and dry cough.
    Anuradha Varanasi, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • Family members said Jacobs had talked about feeling tired, but not about wanting to take his own life.
    Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • With other better quarterbacks available still, the selection was an absolute surprise.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
  • By the time the half-time whistle had been blown, England were leading 5-0, Beever-Jones had completed her hat-trick, Hampton had yet to lay a glove on the ball and the backspace key was taking an absolute hammering.
    Ali Rampling, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • On one hand, actors become more and more capable of doing impossible stunts with the help of technology, and yet, on the other hand, the concept of danger and limit gets blurred and the audience is numb [to it].
    Jack Dunn, Variety, 11 May 2025
  • My forehead stiffened and went numb, like it was made of concrete that had suddenly set.
    Sarah Miller, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Related article Rhinos went extinct in Uganda 40 years ago.
    Nell Lewis, CNN Money, 29 May 2025
  • One of these two lineages is the ancestor of the present-day strains, while the other strain re-emerged over centuries in Europe and went extinct by the early 19th century.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • Summer heat and dry conditions slow down turfgrass growth; drought-tolerant grass turns dormant, a natural protective response to adverse conditions.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2025
  • While most hosts of the parasite can control the initial infection with few if any symptoms, Toxoplasma remains in the body for life as dormant cysts in brain, heart and muscle tissue.
    Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • The only new name in 2025 is Dexter, which replaced Dorian, a deadly and destructive Category 5 hurricane that wreaked havoc in the Bahamas in 2019.
    Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 May 2025
  • Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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