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
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and a homeland security adviser, both described Renée Good and Alex Pretti as domestic terrorists after immigration agents fatally shot them last month in separate incidents in Minneapolis.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Feb. 2026
During one of the shootings, Sheriff Shittu, a 30-year-old aspiring fashion designer, was fatally shot in the head following a tussle with a drunk patron who had groped his girlfriend earlier in the night.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
An unidentified man victim was discovered fatally wounded Saturday morning on the West Side in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, Chicago police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
An off-duty Austin police officer fatally shot a gunman at a barbershop near Pflugerville on Friday night, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fatally
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Arkansas Online, 21 Feb. 2026
During one of the shootings, Sheriff Shittu, a 30-year-old aspiring fashion designer, was fatally shot in the head following a tussle with a drunk patron who had groped his girlfriend earlier in the night.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
An unidentified man victim was discovered fatally wounded Saturday morning on the West Side in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, Chicago police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
An off-duty Austin police officer fatally shot a gunman at a barbershop near Pflugerville on Friday night, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fatally
Cite this Entry
“Fatally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatally. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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