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 Colorado Springs Police Department followed closely behind Denver each year with five shootings, three fatal and two nonfatal, in 2023 and four shootings, three fatal and one nonfatal, in 2024, according to Denver Post records. —Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2024

The fatal capsizing is in the same area as Saturday’s capsizing, when a 21-foot boat with six people on board tipped over and sank. —Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

The information ultimately causes Rayburn to have a fatal heart attack, and season 2 ends dramatically with the Secret Service sprinting to protect Penn, who will soon become the leader of the free world. —Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024

The alternative is mob rule under legal cover, kind of like an agreement between three wolves and two sheep on what to have for dinner: Fine for some, not so good for others, and probably fatal for at least one. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 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