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
Another visitor, Louise Howard, posted photos of the bison’s last fateful moments.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 25 June 2025
If Waymo puts its cars to the test with a person behind the wheel, not too far down the road, leaders will have to make a fateful decision about how and under what conditions to allow self-driving taxis or private cars to operate in New York State and City.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025
Three writers for The Athletic were there on that fateful night, a night that paused a dynasty, burnished a legend and changed the course of the NBA.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 22 June 2025
The fateful choice has presented itself, U.S. and Israeli officials told The Times, after Israeli forces cleared a runway for Washington’s involvement by hobbling Iranian air defenses and reducing the risks to U.S. aircraft.
—Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 25 June 2025
If Waymo puts its cars to the test with a person behind the wheel, not too far down the road, leaders will have to make a fateful decision about how and under what conditions to allow self-driving taxis or private cars to operate in New York State and City.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025
Three writers for The Athletic were there on that fateful night, a night that paused a dynasty, burnished a legend and changed the course of the NBA.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 22 June 2025
The fateful choice has presented itself, U.S. and Israeli officials told The Times, after Israeli forces cleared a runway for Washington’s involvement by hobbling Iranian air defenses and reducing the risks to U.S. aircraft.
—Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
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That does not mean people place blind faith in AI or use it to displace human-to-human interactions; that would be disastrous.—
Yasmin Green,
Foreign Affairs,
7 July 2025
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It was largely forgotten about until closer to release (December 2020 was launch, and its disastrous release was all anyone could talk about).—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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An attack in Boulder, Colorado, in June and the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C., in May, are two recent incidents of anti-Jewish violence that have rocked communities in the U.S. Advertisement Read More: The Rise of Antisemitism and Political Violence in the U.S.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
5 July 2025
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Most had gone to sleep by the time of the fatal brawl.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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And in the process of owning your role in the unfortunate circumstances, remember, never blame your superior or the board in a public forum.—
Carol Geffner,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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While Malle is clearly qualified to oversee editorial content, the timing is unfortunate for her chances.—
Laurie Brookins,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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