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

In 2012, 34 striking workers at a South African platinum mine were fatally shot by security forces in a massacre that ignited outrage across the country and invited comparisons to the atrocities of the apartheid era. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 23 May 2025

The couple were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee when they were fatally shot. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 22 May 2025

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed on X that the couple who were fatally shot were both Israeli embassy staff members. —Becca Longmire, People.com, 22 May 2025

In May 2023, Derrick Monte Hairston fatally stabbed Mason Williams in a parking lot outside Williams’ Winston-Salem apartment, according to a May 20 news release by the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office. —Paloma Chavez, Charlotte Observer, 21 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fatally

• postnatally
• prenatally