fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

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 

adverb

fatefulness noun

Synonyms of fateful

• disastrous
• fatal
• unfortunate
• catastrophic

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

But in the run-up to Cal Poly’s fateful 2024-25 season, their relationship quickly deteriorated into a power struggle. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026

Scheffler, who played with DeChambeau in that fateful second round, was asked about it the following day, but decided against giving his opinion. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

Guys’ inability to fully deliver for Dean is explored in trenchant lyrics that seem to be exploring fateful realizations about so-so situationships in real time. — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 July 2026

Reports emerged over the weekend that Paul Rees, who was sat in the passenger seat on that fateful day in 2022, is seeking up to £150,000 from BBC Studios over claims of personal injury. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fateful

• ungrateful
• grateful
• hateful

Kids Definition

fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

1

: foretelling usually bad things to come

a fateful remark

2

: having serious results : important

a fateful decision

fatefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun