fatally

adverb

fa·​tal·​ly ˈfā-tᵊl-ē 

1

: in a way determined by fate

2

: in a manner suggesting fate or an act of fate: such as

a

: in a manner resulting in death : mortally

fatally wounded

b

: beyond repair : irrevocably

c

: in a manner resulting in ruin or evil

It is fatally easy to pass off our prejudices as our opinions.

—W. F. Hambly

d

: in a manner that cannot be easily resisted

… thinks she is fatally attractive …

—J. W. Krutch

Examples of fatally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kirk was killed September 10, 2025, when he was fatally shot in front of about 3,000 people during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Aguilar drew his gun and fatally shot one of the robbers before he was killed. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

The incident happened just two blocks away from where drill rapper Truron Roach-Martin, 24, who performed under the name Briscoe, was fatally shot in the face and chest Wednesday. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026

Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot during the stop, was not the target of an administrative warrant that the agents were acting on, the Democratic lawmaker said. — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fatally

• postnatally
• prenatally