fatal

adjective

fa·​tal ˈfā-tᵊl 

1

a

: causing death

a fatal crash

a fatal disease

a fatal wound

b

: bringing ruin

a fatal attraction to gambling

c

: causing failure

a fatal design flaw

Lack of sufficient support was fatal to his campaign.

2

a

: determining one's fate

the fatal flaw in this dazzling woman: a total lack of taste

—Marya Mannes

b

: of or relating to fate

… this science sets a fatal necessity on things …

—H. O. Taylor

c

: resembling fate in proceeding according to a fixed sequence

3

: fateful

a fatal hour

4

obsolete : fated

Synonyms

• calamitous
• cataclysmal
• cataclysmic
• catastrophic
• damning
• destructive
• disastrous
• fateful
• ruinous
• unfortunate

Choose the Right Synonym for fatal

deadly, mortal, fatal, lethal mean causing or capable of causing death.

deadly applies to an established or very likely cause of death.

a deadly disease

mortal implies that death has occurred or is inevitable.

a mortal wound

fatal stresses the inevitability of what has in fact resulted in death or destruction.

fatal consequences

lethal applies to something that is bound to cause death or exists for the destruction of life.

lethal gas

Examples of fatal in a Sentence

a disease that is often fatal

a chemical that can be fatal to birds

She made a fatal mistake.

Recent Examples on the Web

The report was released a day after a fatal school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, which left one student and one teacher dead, and six others injured, along with the suspect. —Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024

Turner, 40, was sentenced in Kenton County Circuit Court on Monday to 12½ years in prison for her role in the August 2023 fatal shooting of 23-year-old Seth Burns. —Quinlan Bentley, The Courier-Journal, 19 Dec. 2024

An unsealed, 11-count indictment charged Mangione with one count of murder in the first degree and two of murder in the second degree in the fatal shooting on December 4, along with other weapon and forgery charges. —Alexandra Banner, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024

The health insurance company was rocked by a fatal shooting of its CEO Brian Thompson as well as a broader sell-off in the industry. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin fatalis, from fatum fate

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing fatal

• dealt a fatal blow

Kids Definition

fatal

adjective

fa·​tal ˈfāt-ᵊl 

1

: deciding one's fate : fateful

on that fatal day

2

: causing death or ruin

a fatal accident

fatally

-ᵊl-ē

adverb

Medical Definition

fatal

adjective

fa·​tal ˈfāt-ᵊl 

: causing death

a fatal diabetic coma

—Havelock Ellis

fatally

ˈfāt-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

Legal Definition

fatal

adjective

fa·​tal

1

: causing failure of a legal claim or cause of action

a fatal defect in the proceedings

—W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel

2

: making something (as a contract) invalid or unenforceable

there is a fatal indefiniteness with the result that the agreement is void

—J. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo

fatally adverb