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
The plane’s black box is found and reveals what really happened on the fateful flight, including Ben’s stirring anti-Network speech.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
On July 4, the fateful night when floodwaters overtook the girl’s camp, the lawsuit alleges that Camp Mystic leaders met with grounds staff to secure equipment rather than awake the young children and bring them to immediate safety.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025
Late in the series, not long before the fateful act, Guiteau breaks into the inaugural ball, only to be identified as an interloper.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
The book—published on this fateful day by American Girl, the company that had long furnished me with the beloved plastic dolls and accompanying literature that taught me simplistic and sanitized stories about our nation’s history—was called The Care and Keeping of You.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
On July 4, the fateful night when floodwaters overtook the girl’s camp, the lawsuit alleges that Camp Mystic leaders met with grounds staff to secure equipment rather than awake the young children and bring them to immediate safety.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025
Late in the series, not long before the fateful act, Guiteau breaks into the inaugural ball, only to be identified as an interloper.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
The book—published on this fateful day by American Girl, the company that had long furnished me with the beloved plastic dolls and accompanying literature that taught me simplistic and sanitized stories about our nation’s history—was called The Care and Keeping of You.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 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 25 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share