fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

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

b

: deadly, catastrophic

3

: controlled by fate : foreordained

fatefully

ˈfāt-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun

Synonyms of fateful

• disastrous
• fatal
• unfortunate
• catastrophic

Choose the Right Synonym for fateful

ominous, portentous, fateful mean having a menacing or threatening aspect.

ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

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

Several years on from that fateful attack, another shocking act of gun violence forces the estranged sisters back together at the insistence of their defense attorney father (Brendan Gleeson). — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

Eleven years before that, Super Bowl XLIX gave us an all-time finish, from Jermaine Kearse’s heavenly juggle to Malcolm Butler’s fateful pick at the goal line. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

It's led by a surgeon who was at Ground Zero for a fateful rescue. — Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

The forensic expert starts to piece together the young men’s relationship and the circumstances that brought them to that fateful day, revealing a story shaped by abuse, homophobia, social alienation and despair. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fateful

• ungrateful
• grateful
• hateful

Kids Definition

fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

1

: foretelling usually bad things to come

a fateful remark

2

: having serious results : important

a fateful decision

fatefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun