fatally

adverb

fa·​tal·​ly ˈfā-tᵊl-ē 

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

d

: in a manner that cannot be easily resisted

… thinks she is fatally attractive …

—J. W. Krutch

Examples of fatally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The company also closed its Fairfield, California, location after police there said a 31-year-old pregnant woman was fatally shot. — Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

Kaniesa Scott, 21, and Unique Benjamin, 28, were fatally shot, according to a Dallas Morning News report that attributed the identifications to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026

The trial for a man accused of fatally running down his 17-year-old girlfriend in Burlington in 2023 continued Monday with his attorney disputing the findings of the medical examiner who ruled the death a homicide. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026

Months after filing for divorce from Vallow Daybell, Charles Vallow was fatally shot in July 2019 in Chandler by Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, whose claim of self-defense was later called into question by investigators. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fatally

• postnatally
• prenatally