1
: causing or having caused death : fatal
a mortal injury
2
a
: subject to death
mortal man
Every living creature is mortal.
b
: possible, conceivable
have done every mortal thing
c
: deadly sense 3
waited three mortal hours
3
: marked by unrelenting hostility
a mortal enemy
4
: marked by great intensity or severity
mortal fear
5
: human
mortal limits
a nobody with an all too mortal longing to be a somebody—
Time
Time6
: of, relating to, or connected with death
mortal agony
: a human being
Synonyms
Adjective
Noun
Examples of mortal in a Sentence
Adjective
Every living creature is mortal.
He suffered a mortal wound in the battle.
Noun
stories about gods interfering in the lives of mortals
the troubles that come to ordinary mortals
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Dobstaff, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Everyone from Mel Gibson to Patrick Dempsey has graced the cover of our annual Sexiest Man Alive issue, but only a select few have had the charisma to outlast this mortal coil!
—John Russell, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
Time just seems to fly and fly with no regard for us mere mortals.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mortal 
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.
Adjective
But for some folks, shuffling off this mortal coil doesn’t necessarily mean the money stops rolling in.
—Chris Dobstaff, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Everyone from Mel Gibson to Patrick Dempsey has graced the cover of our annual Sexiest Man Alive issue, but only a select few have had the charisma to outlast this mortal coil!
—John Russell, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
Death, her ex-lover, grants her some time but warns that neither mortal can outrun their ultimate fate.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
Time just seems to fly and fly with no regard for us mere mortals.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mortal
Dictionary Entries Near mortal
Cite this Entry
“Mortal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortal. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mortal
1 of 2 adjective
mor·tal
ˈmȯrt-ᵊl 
1
: capable of causing death
a mortal wound
2
: certain to die
animals are mortal
3
: extremely unfriendly
a mortal enemy
4
: very great or severe
in mortal fear
5
: human entry 1 sense 1
mortal limitations
6
: of, relating to, or connected with death
mortal agony
mortally
adverb
-ᵊl-ē
mortal
2 of 2 noun
: a human being
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share