as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a fateful encounter with a confidence man that they would long regret
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Recent Examples of fateful
Improvement, centered around Reyna, a New York single mom with tattoos whose life is influenced by fateful moments, random meetings and accidents, won the National Book Critics Circle fiction award and the PEN/Faulkner award.
—
Jane Ciabattari
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Two young, passionate magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman), a charismatic showman, and Alfred Borden (Bale), a gifted illusionist, are friends and partners until one fateful night when their biggest trick goes terribly wrong.
—Caitlin White, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
The fateful decisions that doomed the Weimar Republic were made in the aftermath of World War I, shortly after the birth of a new democracy in Germany.
—Daniel Ziblatt, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025
Prior to and after the ruling, a small but noisy crowd spent those fateful hours chanting in support outside the PJ headquarters in San Telmo, a nearby Buenos Aires neighborhood, many of whom followed her back to Calle San José that frigid night.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Jane Ciabattari
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Two young, passionate magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman), a charismatic showman, and Alfred Borden (Bale), a gifted illusionist, are friends and partners until one fateful night when their biggest trick goes terribly wrong.
—Caitlin White, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
The fateful decisions that doomed the Weimar Republic were made in the aftermath of World War I, shortly after the birth of a new democracy in Germany.
—Daniel Ziblatt, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025
Prior to and after the ruling, a small but noisy crowd spent those fateful hours chanting in support outside the PJ headquarters in San Telmo, a nearby Buenos Aires neighborhood, many of whom followed her back to Calle San José that frigid night.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
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The effect was disastrous, my hair crimped weirdly, with sections shooting out in different directions like the discordant notes of an orchestra tuning up.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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The mid-quarter update offered a glimmer of hope after Six Flags’ disastrous second quarter earnings report in August.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Video of the fatal attack showed Kirk speaking to a large crowd of people on the university campus as a shot rings out.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Though Kirk's visit was controversial on campus, police were tracking no specific or credible threats before the fatal shooting, Utah law enforcement sources told ABC News.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Therefore, there are some unfortunate parallels between young Gen Z needing to sacrifice wages due to wavering job opportunities and millennials graduating into the Great Recession.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
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In today's volatile business climate, layoffs have become an unfortunate reality across industries.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Legislators should realize that a simple law meant to avert potential catastrophic risks seems like an existential risk to those who oppose it.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Fire is the most catastrophic event possible on a yacht, a plane, or a car.—
Rachel Ingram,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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