KILLER Synonyms: 201 Similar and Opposite Words

killer 1 of 2

noun

ˈki-lər

Definition of killer

as in headache

a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work weeding out that overgrown garden is going to be a killer

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in murderer

a person who kills another person gunned down by hired killers

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killer

2 of 2

adjective

as in lethal

likely to cause or capable of causing death killer viruses that claimed millions of lives

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as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort a killer exercise program guaranteed to whip you into shape

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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 killer

Noun

Serial killer documentary Cannibal Poet looks to deliver the shocks. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026 The head tax is a growth killer, wherever it is applied within city boundaries. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 The doc, which features personal archival footage of Newton and interviews with his friends, ultimately leads to the shocking revelation of Newton’s actual killer. — Peter White, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026 But as the game continues, the two are forced to reckon with their changing relationship — and hopefully keep each other from becoming another serial killer’s prize. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for killer

Recent Examples of Synonyms for killer

Noun

Those headaches create headwinds, but the underlying story provides support.

— Michael Khouw, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Residents have reported symptoms including burning in the eyes, lungs and sinuses, bad headaches and nausea.

— Lana Zak, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of headache

Noun

That’s because Kansas City’s five victories haven’t exactly come against a murderer’s row of opponents.

— Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
Here, however, the show pulls a fast one, revealing that the murderer isn’t Pam, but instead a young girl named Grace (Gwendolyn Sundstrom).

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of murderer

Adjective

Jarman, who came in as the defending champion on the event, put together a more difficult routine but was nicked by judges for his execution.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
This is the last remaining game on the schedule that should be very difficult.

— David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of difficult

Noun

Our job, before and after AI, is building safe and useful products for human beings, and engineers are still best suited for that.

— Brian Jenney, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Oct. 2026
The Commission’s sovereignty framework considers the extent to which investment, jobs and value creation remain within the EU and European Economic Area.

— Margot Edelman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of job

Noun

Jason Statham is back in action as former government assassin Adam Clay in the buzzy trailer for The Beekeeper 2, which Amazon MGM Studios dropped on Thursday.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
The alleged plot targeting Pannun unfolded at the same time that Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another prominent Sikh separatist and friend of Pannun, was gunned down and killed in June 2023 by assassins outside his gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

— Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of assassin

Adjective

Police charged 52-year-old Mooresville resident Rod Moskowitz with assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, court records show.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
Memories are fresh of the nationwide protests sparked by economic pressures that led to a deadly crackdown weeks before the war.

— Amir-Hussein Radjy, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of deadly

Adjective

Such calculations are part of a wider effort to understand why molecular simulations remain challenging.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
But the shift in college athletics has required an internal reconciling that is even more challenging than the external education.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026