lethality
Capacity to kill
Lethality is the capacity to cause death.
The word appears most often in discussions of weapons, diseases, or dangerous substances: The lethality of the new variant concerned health officials.
Military contexts distinguish lethality from other measures of effectiveness—a weapon's lethality is specifically its killing power.
In gaming, lethality often refers to damage output or one-hit-kill potential.
Causing death or ruin
- mortalSubject to death
- deadlyAble to cause expiration
- mortality rateDeaths per population measured
- death tollTotal fatalities counted
fatality · terminal · life-threatening · killer · death-dealing · slaying · extermination · annihilation
Harmful ingested substance
- venomInjected animal poison
- toxinBiological-origin harm agent
- venomousProducing injected toxins
- poisonousCapable of causing death
carcinogen · neurotoxin · pathogen · biohazard · contamination · LD50 · dosage · antidote
Violent offensive act
- homicideCausing another's death
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
- killingCausing death deliberately
- bloodshedKilling and wounding
combat · warfare · brutality · savagery · aggression · attack · strike · wound
Source of potential harm
- perilSerious threat of harm
- riskPossibility of harm
- threatIndication of potential harm
- menaceSource of potential harm
jeopardy · vulnerability · exposure · endangerment · precariousness · life-or-death · high-stakes · survivability
Success in producing results
- potencyDegree of strength
- capabilityPower to accomplish tasks
- capacityMaximum amount containable
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
accuracy · reliability · force multiplier · impact · power · neutralizing · incapacitating · disabling
Combat weapon effectiveness
- caliberBore diameter or quality
- ammunitionWeapon projectiles and charges
- munitionsMilitary weapons and ammunition
- ordnanceMilitary weapons collectively
armament · ballistics · penetration · stopping power · muzzle velocity · warhead · projectile · shrapnel
fatal
Causing death or ruin
- mortalSubject to death
- deadlyAble to cause expiration
- mortality rateDeaths per population measured
death toll · fatality · terminal · life-threatening · killer · death-dealing · slaying · extermination · annihilation · elimination
poison
Harmful ingested substance
poisonous · carcinogen · neurotoxin · pathogen · biohazard · contamination · LD50 · dosage · antidote · exposure
assault
Violent offensive act
bloodshed · combat · warfare · brutality · savagery · aggression · attack · strike · wound · maim
hazard
Source of potential harm
menace · jeopardy · vulnerability · exposure · endangerment · precariousness · life-or-death · high-stakes · survivability · harm
effectiveness
Success in producing results
- potencyDegree of strength
- capabilityPower to accomplish tasks
- capacityMaximum amount containable
precision · accuracy · reliability · force multiplier · impact · power · neutralizing · incapacitating · disabling · operational
firepower
Combat weapon effectiveness
- caliberBore diameter or quality
- ammunitionWeapon projectiles and charges
- munitionsMilitary weapons and ammunition
ordnance · armament · ballistics · penetration · stopping power · muzzle velocity · warhead · projectile · shrapnel · incendiary
- wound ballisticsentry wound, exit wound, penetration, bullet trajectory, tissue damage
- dangersdanger, peril, hazard, risk, menace
- ballisticsballistics, bullet, bullet drop, cartridge, trajectory
- domestic abusedomestic violence, battering, batterer, spousal abuse, wife beating
- pathogenicityvirulence, infectivity, transmissibility, pathogenicity, invasiveness
- warfarebattle, combat, attack, war, armed conflict
lethalityharmlessness
Inability to cause damage
nonlethality · safety · survivability · benignity · innocuousness
lethalityharmlessness
Inability to cause damage
safety · benevolence · beneficence · salubriousness · healthfulness