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
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
The season ended with Jamie’s fateful decision to resign his Continental Army commission and return to Fraser’s Ridge with Claire.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
The war received vast nationwide support at the time, with some 73 percent backing military action following Bush's fateful 2002 State of the Union address, according to a poll conducted at the time by the Pew Research Center.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 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.
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
The season ended with Jamie’s fateful decision to resign his Continental Army commission and return to Fraser’s Ridge with Claire.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
The war received vast nationwide support at the time, with some 73 percent backing military action following Bush's fateful 2002 State of the Union address, according to a poll conducted at the time by the Pew Research Center.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 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 14 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share