Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

sublethal

American  
[suhb-lee-thuhl] / sʌbˈli θəl /

adjective

  1. almost lethal or fatal.

    a sublethal dose of poison.


Etymology

Origin of sublethal

First recorded in 1890–95; sub- + lethal

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The right whale consortium said sublethal injuries to whales from collisions and fishing gear are also a major concern for the remaining population.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 23, 2023

Documenting often-invisible, sublethal effects in wild animals that are definitively linked to plastic itself has remained elusive.

From Scientific American • Mar. 22, 2023

Pesticides also harm bees, particularly products that cause sublethal or chronic bee health issues.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2022

Two years ago, for example, Mark Denison, a virologist at Vanderbilt University, and colleagues repeatedly exposed coronaviruses to sublethal doses of a form of the drug called EIDD-1931 to test whether drug-resistant viruses would emerge.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 7, 2021

Many of the microscopic parasites that produced malaria would survive the sublethal dose and produce offspring capable of withstanding a full dose of the medicine.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy