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

Anunoby, who was the hero of Game 4 with a miraculous tip-in at the basket with seconds left on the clock, hasn’t slept at all since that fateful moment in Texas. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 15 June 2026

The deadly altercation on that fateful April day started when Anthony entered another team's tent at a high school track meet. —Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026

In the film, Roman embarks on a road trip to the three fateful sites to stage reenactments of the killings in front of the unsuspecting public. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 15 June 2026

Neymar missed that fateful day with an injury suffered in Brazil’s quarterfinal win over Colombia. —Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 13 June 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