SUBLETHAL Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

sublethal

adjective

Definition of sublethal

as in toxic

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 sublethal Documenting often-invisible, sublethal effects in wild animals that are definitively linked to plastic itself has remained elusive. — Matthew Savoca, The Conversation, 21 Mar. 2023 The third is that this dosage was sublethal, just to send a message. — Ellen Barry and Ceylan Yeginsu, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2018 There’s a growing body of evidence, too, that neonicotinoids may have sublethal effects, says Dennis vanEngelsdorp, a bee researcher at the University of Maryland who was not involved in the new study. — Lindsey Konkel, National Geographic, 26 July 2016

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sublethal

Adjective

There’s the threat of exposure to toxic substances and the long-term threat of cancer.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Replacing toxic battery ingredients Binders are glue-like materials that hold electrode particles together and attach them to thin metal foils inside batteries.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of toxic

Adjective

Sepsis can lead to a number of different complications, and Woodhouse developed infective endocarditis — an infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves.

— Adam England, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026
The team confirmed that those eggs developed into infective third-stage larvae.

— Jay Kakade August 05, Refractor, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of infective

Adjective

With the throne disengaged from governance, petitions and reports from officials piled up unread, crucial state posts went unfilled, and the imperial bureaucracy splintered amid poisonous factional infighting.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
With this potential even more poisonous investments in the bloated and indebted Paramount behemoth, there’s even more reason to reject it.

— Abigail Disney, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of poisonous

Adjective

The necropsy found that Jackie had multiple conditions, including a type of infectious avian flu.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
In the pre-choruses, the chords and background vocals fill the spaces around Swift’s fragmented, stop-start lead vocal, creating an infectious call-and-response flow.

— David Penn, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of infectious

Adjective

The backlash against this perfectly reasonable post demonstrates the deleterious effect of mass immigration on our democratic system.

— Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026
During this time, bogs, marshes, and other wetlands, historically seen as disease-ridden and deleterious to human health, were reevaluated by scientists and conservationists as valuable wildlife habitats.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026

Definition of deleterious

Adjective

Local government and outside groups have long strived to ban the popular tourist attraction that critics argue is harmful to horses’ well-being.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Waters are becoming cloudier overall, while harmful algal blooms — measured through chlorophyll a levels — are trending in the wrong direction, the report found.

— Adam Thompson, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of harmful

Adjective

Courtesy of WorldSkills Is one of the world’s most pernicious social stigmas finally lifting?

— the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026
Obscured Releasing has acquired North American distribution rights to The Drug in Our Pocket, a documentary by Anne Sundberg about the pernicious effects on young people of constant smartphone use.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of pernicious

Browse Nearby Words

sublet

sublethal

sublets

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sublethal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sublethal. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sublethal

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes