fatal

adjective fa·tal \ ˈfā-tᵊl \

Definition of fatal

1 obsolete :fated

2 :fateful

a fatal hour

3 a :of or relating to fate

… this science sets a fatal necessity on things …
—H. O. Taylor

b :resembling fate in proceeding according to a fixed sequence

c :determining one's fate

the fatal flaw in this dazzling woman: a total lack of taste
—Marya Mannes

4 a :causing death

a fatal crash

a fatal disease

a fatal wound

b :bringing ruin

a fatal attraction to gambling

c :causing failure

a fatal design flaw

Lack of sufficient support was fatal to his campaign.

See fatal defined for English-language learners

See fatal defined for kids

Examples of fatal in a Sentence

a disease that is often fatal
a chemical that can be fatal to birds
She made a fatal mistake.

Recent Examples of fatal from the Web

The new measures are a response to the fatal shooting of two Israeli policemen, which closed the Temple Mount compound for the first time in decades.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 20 July 2017
The two victims of Sunday's early morning fatal crash on Herr Lane have been identified by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Coroner identifies the two teenage victims of Sunday morning fatal crash," 19 July 2017
Lake County Sheriff's Department spokesman Mark Back said Sunday that Charles E. Bayne, 21, has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Cody Klotz, 27, also of Lowell.

— michelle l. quinn, Post-Tribune, "Lowell man charged in shooting death," 16 July 2017
But like anything else, fandoms aren’t exempt from having a dark side — and the fatal flaw in question seems to be social media drama, drama, drama.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "7 Things All Super Fans Need to Know," 14 July 2017
In an unrelated killing, Driskell is indicted for murder in the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Kendrick Lamar Fuqua on Oct. 27, 2016.

— ashley remkus, AL.com, "2 Decatur men indicted for murder in unrelated fatal shootings," 5 July 2017
In Tulsa, Waldon faced a murder charge in connection with the March 2015 fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man outside a sports bar, court records show.

— ian cummings, laura bauer, tony rizzo, eric adler and robert a. cronkleton the kansas city star, kansascity.com, "Three alleged Tulsa, Okla., gang members among victims in KC’s bloody holiday weekend," 3 July 2017
Twelve hours later, Kansas City, Kan., police responded to another fatal shooting, this one outside a laundromat in the 4800 block of Parallel Parkway.

— robert a. cronkleton and ian cummings, kansascity, "Seven killed in shootings during violent July Fourth weekend in KC area," 2 July 2017
A man charged in a fatal Hoover crash pleaded guilty to several charges, including manslaughter, Friday morning.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "Man charged in fatal 2016 crash that killed Hoover woman pleads guilty, sentenced," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fatal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fatal

Middle English, from Latin fatalis, from fatum fate

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First Known Use: 14th century

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fatal Synonyms

Synonyms

calamitous, cataclysmal (or cataclysmic), catastrophic, damning, destructive, disastrous, fateful, ruinous, unfortunate

Antonyms

healthful, healthy, nonfatal, nonlethal, wholesome

Related Words

apocalyptic (also apocalyptical); hapless, ill-fated, ill-starred, luckless; adverse, baleful, baneful, damaging, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial

Near Antonyms

fluky (also flukey), fortuitous, fortunate, happy, lucky, providential; auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, hopeful, optimistic, promising, propitious, rose-colored, rosy, upbeat

Synonym Discussion of fatal

deadly, mortal, fatal, lethal mean causing or capable of causing death. deadly applies to an established or very likely cause of death.

- a deadly disease

mortal implies that death has occurred or is inevitable.

- a mortal wound

fatal stresses the inevitability of what has in fact resulted in death or destruction.

- fatal consequences

lethal applies to something that is bound to cause death or exists for the destruction of life.

- lethal gas

FATAL Defined for English Language Learners

fatal

adjective

Definition of fatal for English Language Learners

: causing death
: causing ruin or failure

FATAL Defined for Kids

fatal

adjective fa·tal \ ˈfā-tᵊl \

Definition of fatal for Students

1 :causing death :mortal

fatal injuries

2 :causing ruin or failure

a fatal mistake

—

fatally

adverb

Medical Dictionary

fatal

adjective fa·tal \ ˈfāt-ᵊl \

medical Definition of fatal

:causing death

a fatal diabetic coma
—Havelock Ellis

—

fatally

play \ˈfāt-ᵊl-ē\ adverb

Law Dictionary

fatal

adjective fa·tal

legal Definition of fatal

1 :causing failure of a legal claim or cause of action

a fatal defect in the proceedings
—W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel

2 :making something (as a contract) invalid or unenforceable

there is a fatal indefiniteness with the result that the agreement is void
—J. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo

—

fatally

adverb

Learn More about fatal

See words that rhyme with fatal Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fatal Spanish Central: Translation of fatal Nglish: Translation of fatal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fatal for Arabic speakers

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Examples of fatal in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of fatal

fatal Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of fatal

FATAL Defined for English Language Learners

fatal

Definition of fatal for English Language Learners

FATAL Defined for Kids

fatal

Definition of fatal for Students

fatally

Medical Dictionary

fatal

medical Definition of fatal

fatally

Law Dictionary

fatal

legal Definition of fatal

fatally

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