fatality

noun

fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈta-lə-tē 

fə-

plural fatalities

1

a

: the quality or state of causing death or destruction

b

: the quality or condition of being destined for disaster

2

: something established by fate

3

a

: fate sense 1

b

: fatalism

4

: the agent or agency of fate

5

a

: death resulting from a disaster

b

: one that experiences a fatal outcome

Synonyms of fatality

• victim
• casualty

Examples of fatality in a Sentence

The car crash caused one fatality and several serious injuries.

the grim reminder that every holiday weekend inevitably results in a slew of highway fatalities

Recent Examples on the Web

The majority of these strikes happen during the summer, causing around 20 fatalities each year, according to the NWS. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 26 Apr. 2026

Hosted at the Washington Hilton, the gunmen have been apprehended, and no fatalities have been reported. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Apr. 2026

Last year was the deadliest for civilians since 2022, the start of the full-scale war, with more than 2,500 fatalities, up thirty-one per cent from the previous year, despite Moscow’s insistence that the Russian Army does not target civilians. —Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026

One-third of all motorcycle fatalities involve impaired riders. —Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French fatalité, from Late Latin fatalitat-, fatalitas, from Latin fatalis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing fatality

• case-fatality rate
• case-fatality ratio
• fatality rate

Rhymes for fatality

• banality
• bestiality
• brutality
• carnality
• centrality
• chirality
• duality
• finality
• formality
• frugality
• legality
• lethality

Kids Definition

fatality

noun

fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈtal-ət-ē 

fə-

plural fatalities

: a death resulting from a disaster or accident

Medical Definition

fatality

noun

fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈtal-ət-ē, fə- 

plural fatalities

1

: the quality or state of causing death or destruction : deadliness

the degree of fatality of a disease

2

a

: death resulting from a disaster

a car crash causing several fatalities

b

: one who suffers such a death

one of the fatalities was a small child