1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
I made the fatal mistake of sharing my secret with the office's biggest blabbermouth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
that snake's venom is fatal unless the victim is given the antidote almost immediately
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fatal
There were 47 unprovoked shark bites -- including four fatal incidents -- reported globally in 2024, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File.
—
Jason Volack, ABC News, 28 May 2025
Arya’s dad, Jeremy Lebeau, said his daughter had stayed at the friend’s house previously and only heard the children were home alone after the fatal incident, according to WCVB.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 28 May 2025
Gilbert Berry, 43, of Oakland, is charged with murder and possession of an assault weapon in the fatal shooting on May 22 of Jacoby Diego Morales, who had addresses in Las Vegas and San Francisco.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
The fatal crash happened near Katy, a Houston suburb, at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office told KPRC.
—Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Jason Volack, ABC News, 28 May 2025
Arya’s dad, Jeremy Lebeau, said his daughter had stayed at the friend’s house previously and only heard the children were home alone after the fatal incident, according to WCVB.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 28 May 2025
Gilbert Berry, 43, of Oakland, is charged with murder and possession of an assault weapon in the fatal shooting on May 22 of Jacoby Diego Morales, who had addresses in Las Vegas and San Francisco.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
The fatal crash happened near Katy, a Houston suburb, at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office told KPRC.
—Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatal
Adjective
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Physicist Matthew von Hippel looks not at the birth of the universe but at its destruction, outlining a disastrous world-ending scenario that makes asteroid strikes and Earth-colliding black holes look like kid stuff.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
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Here, The Athletic looks at what this all means, what points deductions Leicester could face, where the EFL stands on any Premier League sanction and the potential repercussions for a club already reeling from what has been a disastrous season on the pitch.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Oscar Franklin Smith is set to be executed by lethal injection for the 1989 murder of his estranged wife, 35-year-old Judith Robirds Smith, and her sons.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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The last electrocution was in 1990, the method has been lethal injection since that time.—
Ray Hanley,
Arkansas Online,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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On May 29, Russia launched a series of deadly attacks across Ukraine, killing at least seven civilians.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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The only new name in 2025 is Dexter, which replaced Dorian, a deadly and destructive Category 5 hurricane that wreaked havoc in the Bahamas in 2019.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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The timing of Correa’s five-game absence for a concussion sustained in Baltimore on May 15 was unfortunate.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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This is especially unfortunate because the plot itself is quite harrowing.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fatal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatal. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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