life-threatening

IPA/ˈlaɪf θretnɪŋ/
KK[lˈaɪfθrˌɛtnɪŋ]IPA/ˈlaɪf θretnɪŋ/

life-threatening — adjective

1. describing an illness, injury, or situation that puts someone's life in serious

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing an illness, injury, or situation that puts someone's life in serious danger and may kill them if help does not come quickly

Example

Doctors said the smoke damage to Tariq's lungs was life-threatening.

predicative: be life-threatening

Hao's peanut allergy became life-threatening after he ate the sauce.

pattern: become life-threatening

Common collocations
  • life-threatening illness
  • life-threatening injury
  • life-threatening condition
  • life-threatening allergy
  • life-threatening infection
  • life-threatening bleeding
  • life-threatening emergency
Synonyms
  • critical

    common in hospital language for a condition requiring urgent attention

  • deadly

    often used for things that can kill, such as weapons, animals, or poisons

  • fatal

    stronger; often suggests death is certain or has already happened

Antonyms
  • stable

    used for a patient's condition when there is no immediate danger of death

  • harmless

    not able to cause serious injury or death

Grammar Patterns

life-threatening + noun

be / become / turn life-threatening

Usage Note

Most often describes illnesses, injuries, severe allergic reactions, and other emergencies where death is a real possibility. It is stronger than 'serious' because it means there is a real risk of death unless treatment or rescue comes quickly.

Common Mistakes

The deadline is life-threatening.
The deadline is extremely stressful.
'Life-threatening' is only used for situations, injuries, or illnesses that could kill someone.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Life-threatening' means there is a real danger that someone may die, but survival is still possible with treatment or rescue. 'Critical' is common in hospitals and often describes a patient's unstable condition, though it can also be used more broadly for urgent situations. 'Serious' is weaker and can describe major problems that are not likely to kill. 'Deadly' usually focuses on something that can kill, such as a snake, a weapon, or a disease. 'Fatal' is the strongest of the group, because it often means death is certain or has already resulted. For example: a patient may be in critical condition after a life-threatening injury, while a fatal wound leaves no chance of survival.

life-threatening ↗critical ↗serious ↗deadly ↗fatal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be life-threatening
  • become life-threatening
  • turn life-threatening

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Life-threatening is a modern English compound formed from 'life' and 'threatening'. It first described illnesses or injuries that threatened a person's life, and it still keeps that literal meaning today. Because the second part comes from the verb 'threaten', the word suggests a danger that may lead to death if nothing is done, not death that has already happened.