deader than a doornail
Utterly without life
Deader than a doornail means completely and unmistakably dead, with no possibility of revival.
The phrase emphasizes finality—something is not just dead but conclusively so: The deal is deader than a doornail.
It applies to literal death and to things that have failed utterly: projects, relationships, hopes.
Why doornails should be especially dead is unclear, but the expression has been in use since at least the 14th century.
- kaputSlang for ruined
- six feet underDead and buried
- goneNo longer present
- done forRuined beyond repair
- pushing up daisiesEuphemism for being dead
bought the farm · extinct · defunct · obsolete · lifeless · worm food · met their maker · washed up · expired · perished · departed · crossed over · done and dusted · dead as a dodo · bit the dust · inanimate · dead as a doorknob · flat as a pancake
deader than a doornailalive and kicking
Healthy and active
full of life · alive and well · living · breathing · alive
deader than a doornailfull of beans
Very lively, energetic
bouncing off the walls · vibrant · peppy · animated · buzzing
deader than a doornailthriving
Succeeding vigorously
going strong · flourishing · operational · up and running · viable
deader, deadest, deadly, deadliness, deaden, deadened, deadening, death, deaths