LIFE-THREATENING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does life-threatening mean? 

• LIFE-THREATENING (adjective)
  The adjective LIFE-THREATENING has 1 sense:

1. causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm

  Familiarity information: LIFE-THREATENING used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LIFE-THREATENING (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm

Synonyms:

dangerous; grave; grievous; life-threatening; serious; severe

Context example:

a life-threatening disease

Similar:

critical (being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency)

 Context examples 

They can be mild or life-threatening.

(Drug Reactions, NIH)

A life-threatening bacterial infection of the newborn caused by Treponema pallidum.

(Congenital Syphilis, NCI Thesaurus)

They can range from mild to life-threatening.

(Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, NIH)

If untreated, it can be life-threatening.

(Endocarditis, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Care given to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease.

(Comfort care, NCI Dictionary)

It can lead to life-threatening conditions including severe intestinal problems and heart failure.

(Scientists identify how the exosomes of the parasite responsible for Chagas disease affect heart cells, University of Granada)

The worst of these life-threatening deficiencies is iron (90 per cent), followed by Vitamin A (85 per cent) and protein (50 per cent).

(Course grains better than rice for health, environment, SciDev.Net)

A severe and sometimes life-threatening immune system reaction to an antigen that a person has been previously exposed to.

(Anaphylactic shock, NCI Dictionary)

Critical care nursing is that specialty within nursing that deals specifically with human responses to life-threatening problems.

(Critical Care Nursing, NCI Thesaurus)

It is a potentially life-threatening condition and the infant should be closely monitored for signs of airway disease.

(Airway Hemangioma, NCI Thesaurus)