as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a fateful encounter with a confidence man that they would long regret
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of fateful
Picking up almost two years after its predecessor, the ten-episode fourth season starts out in spring of 2024, just a few months before a fateful U.S. Presidential election that would change the course of history.
—
Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 July 2025
In those crucial moments, Aiden made a fateful decision, his father said.
—ABC News, 8 July 2025
Charles Dickens’ classic tale of the curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge, who finds his heart changing one fateful Christmas Eve, combines with dazzling set, costume and lighting designs to create a magical experience for your family!
—The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The owners of Ferrari’s Italian Villa and Chop House in Grapevine have been inseparable since that fateful moment.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 July 2025
In those crucial moments, Aiden made a fateful decision, his father said.
—ABC News, 8 July 2025
Charles Dickens’ classic tale of the curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge, who finds his heart changing one fateful Christmas Eve, combines with dazzling set, costume and lighting designs to create a magical experience for your family!
—The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The owners of Ferrari’s Italian Villa and Chop House in Grapevine have been inseparable since that fateful moment.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
-
That does not mean people place blind faith in AI or use it to displace human-to-human interactions; that would be disastrous.—
Yasmin Green,
Foreign Affairs,
7 July 2025
-
It was largely forgotten about until closer to release (December 2020 was launch, and its disastrous release was all anyone could talk about).—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
An attack in Boulder, Colorado, in June and the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C., in May, are two recent incidents of anti-Jewish violence that have rocked communities in the U.S. Advertisement Read More: The Rise of Antisemitism and Political Violence in the U.S.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
5 July 2025
-
Most had gone to sleep by the time of the fatal brawl.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cell phones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
14 July 2025
-
Fortunately for him, that gaffe will be a little easier to live down than Teal and Weinberg’s unfortunate comments.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share