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 boyfriend of an 18-year-old college soccer player in Washington County, Pennsylvania, is accused of fatally stabbing her, putting her body in the hatch of her vehicle and recruiting his mother for help disposing of the body, authorities said. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

Last year, just weeks after the homicide, Solano County prosecutors charged Evans with fatally shooting 19-year-old Tamarcus Williams on the 300 block of West Texas Street in Fairfield, court records show. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

That usually ends badly and often fatally for the business, and there is a long list of companies that have gone this way over the last few years after some crazy early valuations. — Bill Holmes, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The mother of a 25-year-old man who was fatally shot by Lenexa police officers in June 2025, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city and the police officers accused of shooting the man. — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fatally

• postnatally
• prenatally