- (of an illness or a disease) that cannot be cured and will lead to death, often slowly
- He has terminal lung cancer.
- The illness is usually terminal.
- (figurative) She's suffering from terminal (= very great) boredom.
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- (of a person) suffering from an illness that cannot be cured and will lead to death
- a terminal patient
- certain to get worse and come to an end
- The industry is in terminal decline.
- [only before noun] (formal or specialist) at the end of something
- a terminal branch of a tree
- terminal examinations (= at the end of a course, etc.)
Word Originearly 19th cent.: from Latin terminalis, from terminus ‘end, boundary’.
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terminal