mortal

CEFRB2

/ˈmɔː.təl/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Unable to live forever; certain to die.

  2. 02

    noun

    A human being, especially compared with a god.

Examples

  • The gods have decreed that man is mortal.

  • We know that all men are mortal.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
4

Also pronounced

  • [ˈmɔɹ.ɾɫ̩]

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Causing death; deadly, fatal, killing, lethal (now only of wounds, injuries etc.).

  2. Punishable by death.

  3. Susceptible to death by aging, sickness, injury, or wound; not immortal.

More examples

In context

  • All human beings are mortal.

  • a sermon lasting two mortal hours

  • mortal wit or knowledge; mortal power

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The hero was not a god but a blank man who could die in battle.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English mortal, mortel, from Old French mortal, and their source Latin mortālis, from mors (“death”). In this sense, displaced native deadly, from Old English dēadlīċ.