1
: in a way determined by fate
2
: in a manner suggesting fate or an act of fate: such as
a
: in a manner resulting in death : mortally
fatally wounded
b
: beyond repair : irrevocably
c
: in a manner resulting in ruin or evil
it is fatally easy to pass off our prejudices as our opinions—
W. F. Hambly
W. F. Hambly
d
: in a manner that cannot be easily resisted
thinks she is fatally attractive—J. W. Krutch
J. W. KrutchExamples of fatally in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The criminal justice system knew Decarlos Brown long before he was accused of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, in an unprovoked attack on a Charlotte, North Carolina, train in August.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Lyles weathered criticism from across the country over the death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed while riding a light rail in South End.
—Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Hours before the incident, Hinton and other family members had been shown body camera video of Ryan Hinton being fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer.
—Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
About 150 members of Cincinnati's Ethiopian community stood in a parking lot where two sisters and a recent university graduate – each with budding professional and academic careers – were fatally shot.
—Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatally
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.
Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Lyles weathered criticism from across the country over the death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed while riding a light rail in South End.
—Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Hours before the incident, Hinton and other family members had been shown body camera video of Ryan Hinton being fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer.
—Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
About 150 members of Cincinnati's Ethiopian community stood in a parking lot where two sisters and a recent university graduate – each with budding professional and academic careers – were fatally shot.
—Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatally
Cite this Entry
“Fatally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatally. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share