fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

1

: having a quality of ominous prophecy

a fateful remark

2

a

: involving momentous consequences : decisive

made his fateful decision to declare war

—W. L. Shirer

b

: deadly, catastrophic

3

: controlled by fate : foreordained

fatefully

ˈfāt-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for fateful

ominous, portentous, fateful mean having a menacing or threatening aspect.

ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

Examples of fateful in a Sentence

His life changed on that fateful November evening.

Hundreds perished on that fateful day.

Her campaign took a fateful turn.

Recent Examples on the Web

One fateful night early in my career taught me this skill and the role of fear in a crisis scenario. —Stanley C. Middleman, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

On the fateful Wednesday morning, an accidental cup of caffeine-free tea had already set an ominous tone for her morning. —David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024

But on a fateful day in 2010, Costa had a skiing accident in Austria. —Jordan Riefe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024

Remember that fateful Friday afternoon when Bears general manager Ryan Poles pulled the trigger on a landmark trade, sending the No. 1 pick in that spring’s NFL draft to the Panthers in exchange for a world of opportunity? —Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

1

: foretelling usually bad things to come

a fateful remark

2

: having serious results : important

a fateful decision

fatefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun