fatality

noun

fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈta-lə-tē How to pronounce fatality (audio)
fə-
plural fatalities
1
a
: the quality or state of causing death or destruction
b
: the quality or condition of being destined for disaster
2
: something established by fate
3
4
: the agent or agency of fate
5
a
: death resulting from a disaster
b
: one that experiences a fatal outcome

Examples of fatality in a Sentence

The car crash caused one fatality and several serious injuries. the grim reminder that every holiday weekend inevitably results in a slew of highway fatalities
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There were 12 lightning fatalities in 2024, according to the organization. Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025 Taking an elevator to lower ground, Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond went on to describe the damage from previous airstrikes, adding that there hadn't been any Israeli fatalities from Iran's retaliatory fire in about a week. Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 24 June 2025 Two of the crew died of illnesses and were buried at sea, marking the voyage’s only fatalities. Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025 Analysts predicted all sorts of potential Iranian retaliatory measures of various sizes and scales, but Iran ultimately opted for an intense but circumscribed missile attack on the Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, resulting in no fatalities but more than 100 U.S. personnel with traumatic brain injuries. Uri Friedman, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for fatality

Word History

Etymology

Middle French fatalité, from Late Latin fatalitat-, fatalitas, from Latin fatalis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatality was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fatality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatality. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

fatality

noun
fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈtal-ət-ē How to pronounce fatality (audio)
fə-
plural fatalities
: a death resulting from a disaster or accident

Medical Definition

fatality

noun
fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈtal-ət-ē, fə- How to pronounce fatality (audio)
plural fatalities
1
: the quality or state of causing death or destruction : deadliness
the degree of fatality of a disease
2
a
: death resulting from a disaster
a car crash causing several fatalities
b
: one who suffers such a death
one of the fatalities was a small child

More from Merriam-Webster on fatality

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