1
: having a quality of ominous prophecy
a fateful remark
2
a
: involving momentous consequences : decisive
… made his fateful decision to declare war …—
W. L. Shirer
W. L. Shirer
b
3
: controlled by fate : foreordained
fatefulness
noun
Examples of fateful in a Sentence
His life changed on that fateful November evening.
Hundreds perished on that fateful day.
Her campaign took a fateful turn.
Recent Examples on the Web
With the 50-year-old coach at the helm, New England is about to host its first playoff game since a fateful night in early 2020 that bookended a remarkable fairytale run.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
But in the six decades since that fateful night, the Queen City’s culinary landscape has undergone multiple evolutions, driven largely by a vast diversity of immigrants who have shaped the city.
—Max Kalnitz, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Jan. 2026
That is the fateful question seemingly posed by this new Pixar installment, which picks up on the familiar parenting conundrum about screentime as Woody, Buzz and the gang encounter a new doohickey in the playroom – a tablet.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Coldplay kiss cam The moment of the year unravelled on that fateful mid-July day at a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
—Will Barker, TheWeek, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
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Chad Graff, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
But in the six decades since that fateful night, the Queen City’s culinary landscape has undergone multiple evolutions, driven largely by a vast diversity of immigrants who have shaped the city.
—Max Kalnitz, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Jan. 2026
That is the fateful question seemingly posed by this new Pixar installment, which picks up on the familiar parenting conundrum about screentime as Woody, Buzz and the gang encounter a new doohickey in the playroom – a tablet.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Coldplay kiss cam The moment of the year unravelled on that fateful mid-July day at a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
—Will Barker, TheWeek, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fateful. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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