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

Pretti was fatally shot while immigration agents wrestled him on the ground in Minneapolis; the Department of Homeland Security said officers took a handgun from Pretti at the scene and fired in self-defense. —Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 25 Jan. 2026

But it was sent during widespread national debate after a man was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis Saturday. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 25 Jan. 2026

Early Saturday, 37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, less than three weeks after Renee Good was also fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. —Lauren Pozen, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026

Man killed identified as Alex Pretti The man fatally shot has been identified as Alex Pretti, according to the Associated Press and the Minnesota Star Tribune. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fatally

• postnatally
• prenatally