- 1(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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- 2(of a person) suffering from an illness that cannot be cured and will lead to death a terminal patient
- 3certain to get worse and come to an end The industry is in terminal decline.
- 4[only before noun] (formal or technology) at the end of something a terminal branch of a tree terminal examinations (= at the end of a course, etc.)
NAmE//ˈtərmənəli//
adverb a hospice for the terminally ill a terminally dull filmSee terminal in the Oxford Advanced Learner's DictionaryCheck pronunciation: terminal