fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl How to pronounce fateful (audio)
Synonyms of fatefulnext
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 How to pronounce fateful (audio)
adverb
fatefulness noun

Synonyms

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Whose children were murdered, and the many people that were so badly—over 42 people so badly injured on that fateful day in Afghanistan. — Time Staff, TIME, 5 Mar. 2025 Not long ago, the thought was that Suggs would miss just a few games with a thigh contusion, but a few games stretched to 14 games before the Magic made the fateful announcement Friday: Suggs has been diagnosed with a left knee injury and will be out indefinitely. — Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025 Krakauer was actually there when the disaster occurred, so readers get a first-person perspective on what happened on that fateful day. — Christopher Murray, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2025 Molland quit Badfinger before Ham’s death, taking issue with the fateful management decisions that were being made after the band switched from Apple to Warner Bros. Records. — Chris Willman, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fateful

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fateful was circa 1720

Rhymes for fateful

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Browse Nearby Words

fateful
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Cite this Entry

“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fateful. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

fateful

adjective
fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl How to pronounce fateful (audio)
1
: foretelling usually bad things to come
a fateful remark
2
: having serious results : important
a fateful decision
fatefully
-fə-lē How to pronounce fateful (audio)
adverb
fatefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fateful

Nglish: Translation of fateful for Spanish Speakers

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